Community Briefs Jan. 30

Bitely serves as Farm Bureau delegate

M.H. Bitely of Grady, a member of the Jefferson County Farm Bureau board of directors, served as a voting delegate at the 106th annual American Farm Bureau Convention in San Antonio, Texas.

Among the topics addressed were farm labor, development of the farm bill, federal tax policy, land-use planning, international trade and rural economic development.

A total of 348 voting delegates took part in the business session, where public policy positions were defined by the membership of the nation’s largest agricultural advocacy organization, according to a news release.

Arkansas Farm Bureau is a private advocacy organization of almost 190,000 families throughout the state working to improve farm and rural life, according to the release.

Davis joins Simmons as SVP

Simmons Bank announced the addition of Tammie Davis as senior vice president for Community Strategy and Performance.

Davis will report to chief community banking officer Chris White and will be responsible for overseeing comprehensive strategies for the community banking division, according to a news release.

“We’re excited to add someone with Tammie’s experience to our team at Simmons Bank,” said White. “Tammie is a seasoned banking veteran who brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and leadership skills to an already strong team at Simmons Bank. We look forward to the vision and energy she will bring to our community banking team.”

Prior to joining Simmons Bank, she most recently served as a division president for a larger regional bank. Davis is also very active engaging as a civic and volunteer in the community.

She is a member of Arkansas nonprofit Fifty for the Future, as well as a past board member for Baptist Health Long Term Care Hospital and served as the 2024 Heart Ball chair for the American Heart Association. She also served on St. Jude’s leadership team for the Justin Moore Golf Classic from 2021-2022 and as co-chair for Ronald McDonald House’s Chocolate Fantasy Ball in 2010. She is a past graduate of Leadership Greater Little Rock and has served in a variety of leadership roles for the Rotary Club of Little Rock.

Davis holds a Bachelor of Science in accounting from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

ARCF grant cycle open

Arkansas Community Foundation’s Giving Tree Grant cycle is now open for non-profits to apply for grants, according to a news release.

The deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. Feb. 15. All applications must be submitted through the online portal at https://www.arcf.org/apply-for-giving-tree-grants/

The following affiliates are accepting applications:Cleburne County, Conway County, Faulkner County, Fayetteville Area, Greene County, Johnson County, Lee County, North Delta, Phillips County, Pope County, Sharp County, Southeast Arkansas, St. Francis County, Twin Lakes Area, White County. Details: Jane Jones, (501) 372-1116.

Heritage grants available

Community-based non-profit groups interested in supporting the mission of Arkansas Heritage are encouraged to apply for Arkansas Heritage Grants.

The grants are designed to help groups promote awareness and enjoyment of Arkansas’ heritage; increase community-based non-profit groups’ ability to create heritage-related programs, especially in places where they would otherwise not occur; foster cooperative efforts among organizations, businesses and government to increase the size and scope of events; and create ongoing components to existing heritage-related celebrations, according to a news release.

The spring deadline for submitting a proposal is March 27. For additional information and access to the online applications, visit ArkansasHeritage.com.

Details: Debra Fithen, grants manager for Arkansas Heritage, at debra.fithen@arkansas.gov.