A Community-Led Effort Gives Morrilton, AR’s Pocket Park a Fresh Look

A Quick Win With Lasting Momentum

A quick win is a small, achievable project that creates momentum before bigger ones. For Morrilton, the Pocket Park provided an opportunity to turn conversations into action and show residents what they could accomplish by working together.

The effort is part of CommUNITY Hearts in Action, a local leadership group within a growing network of citizen-led civic hubs being developed through the Town Square Collaborative, a Lilly Endowment Initiative of the University of the Ozarks.

The collaborative believes lasting community change is best led by local residents who are informed, equipped and engaged, with Christian congregations serving as important connectors and catalysts.

“This is just the beginning of what we’re going to be doing here,” said Johnny Everette, City Councilman and President of CommUNITY Hearts in Action.

A Community Effort

Volunteers began working on the park in May.

“We thought it might need a little love to just dress it up,” Everette said.

Vanessa Burden, a retired Morrilton postal worker and member of the local leadership team, said the group spent time meeting, sharing ideas and deciding what improvements would make the biggest difference.

With the park now reopened, Burden hopes residents see it as more than a place to gather. She envisions a space where neighbors can share ideas, build relationships and find new ways to bring people together.

Reaching Morrilton’s Youngest Residents

The reopening also drew interest from some of Morrilton’s youngest residents. Diane Barnes, a Conway County resident and member of the local leadership team, helped spread the word by handing flyers to children in her apartment complex. They carried invitations to other neighbors.

The effort paid off.

For Barnes, that kind of participation is what community-led work is all about.

“That’s what we got to do is engage everybody,” she said.

Building Community Leadership

The Pocket Park is one result of a leadership team that has grown considerably over the past several months.

Chantel Poor, a Facilitator on CU’s Sustainability Team, has worked alongside residents through trainings and workshops, helping them identify local priorities and organize around projects, part of Communities Unlimited’s community sustainability work across the region.

The group has grown from a handful of people to more than 120 residents and volunteers participating in various activities. Through those conversations, Poor has encouraged residents to recognize the resources, relationships and leadership already present in Morrilton.

“You guys know what you’re supposed to do. You have all the assets right here,” Poor told them.

A New 501(c)(3) Keeps the Work Going

That leadership is continuing through CommUNITY Hearts in Action, which recently received federal tax-exempt status as a 501(c)(3). The designation gives residents an organization through which they can continue bringing people together and pursuing community-driven improvements.

Shana Chaplin, Assistant Director of Community Engagement for the University of the Ozarks’ Town Square Collaborative, said Morrilton’s progress is providing an example for other communities.

“The Town Square Collaborative is proud of the partnership with Communities Unlimited and inspired by the success of the Morrilton leadership group,” Chaplin said. “CommUNITY Hearts in Action is serving as a model for the development of civic hubs across our state, moving congregations to engage in the civic life of their communities.”