United Way Drops Ball

The United Way Foundation of Washington County has come up with an innovative way to raise funds: It will toss about 3,000 golf balls, weighing about 250 pounds, from a Benton County Sheriff’s Office helicopter on to a special “green” at the Sports Park of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

The first ball to go in the cup, or the nearest to the pin, will win its “owner” $5,000. Individual numbered balls, or chances at the prize, can be purchased for a $10 donation to the United Way Foundation of Washington County.

Donna Hamilton, director of development for the Foundation, said about 800 to 1,000 balls have been sold already, and she expects to sell out by the May 22 drop date. It will mean a total of $30,000 to the Foundation since there is no overhead for the event. The balls, the helicopter, the space and even the prize money were donated, she said.

Arvest Bank in Fayetteville and Springdale is a sponsor, and the balls are the sports park’s range balls.

“We seek to build an endowment fund of $5 million that ultimately will allow us to pay the entire costs of the United Way campaign so that every dollar donated to United Way may be given to the local agencies,” Hamilton said.

She said there are 32 agencies the United Way of Washington County supports including, the American Red Cross, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Children’s House, the Council on Aging, NWA Crisis Intervention and the Project for Victims of Family Violence.