NONPROFIT
By Lawrence Elizabeth Knox | Photos courtesy of Jones Center
30 and Thriving: Jones Center’s Bold New Chapter
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Harvey and Bernice Jones
Bernice Jones with Dr. Joel and Lynn Carver
To borrow the iconic 13 Going on 30 mantra, Jones Center is “thirty, flirty and thriving” — and doing its best to make sure its visitors are too. Well, thriving, that is.
The recreation, education and event center in the heart of downtown Springdale was founded by local philanthropist Bernice Jones, the wife of Jones Truck Lines Founder Harvey Jones, on the principle that all are welcome. Since 1995, the community hub has transformed into a regional destination that cultivates inclusive spaces across a 55-acre campus, where people of all ages can learn, play and thrive together, seven days a week.
For the nearly 600,000 visitors who walk through its doors every year, Jones Center offers a variety of arts, cultural and STEM-based programming as well as a lineup of sports and recreational activities. Its 220,000-square-foot facility boasts the region’s only indoor ice rink, alongside two swimming pools, a fitness center, gymnasium, conference center and chapel. Eager to expand beyond its walls, the center opened the world-class Runway Bike Park, an outdoor training ground for aspiring mountain bikers, in fall 2018.
Fast forward seven years, and the organization has another reason to celebrate — a milestone three decades of impact. Honoring its founder’s legacy while looking ahead with a bold vision for its future, Jones Center marked its 30th anniversary by launching a new brand, unveiling its renovated Joel Carver Ice Arena and renaming its nonprofit sustainability efforts.
Entering this new era, the center is energetically focused on a new tagline that reads, “Your place to thrive,” placing particular emphasis on that final word. More than an acronym for the organization’s six core values — teamwork, honesty, resourcefulness, inclusion, vision and energy — to thrive is to be in a state of sustained growth, actively realizing one’s full potential and purpose. Jones Center strives to spark that journey for all visitors, encouraging them to be curious, meet new people, try new activities and step out of their comfort zone, perhaps onto the ice.
On the resurfaced rink, where the colorful new “J” logo is on full display, adults and children alike are invited to participate in ice skating lessons led by certified instructors. Other updates to the arena include new flooring that allows skaters to move throughout the facility without damaging their blades or the surface, revitalized locker rooms, a cubby space open to the public, a loft area for viewing, fresh paint and even two additional curling lanes.
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“We want people to feel welcome here, but most importantly, we want them to thrive,” said Susan Cui, the center’s communications specialist. “It’s a philosophy that drives how we work, what we offer and how we show up in the lives of people who come to Jones Center, the people we serve. It defines our culture and frames the experience of everyone who walks through our doors. It’s a call to action, a vision for what’s possible and a reminder of what makes Jones Center unique.”
With around 200 programs on its roster, Jones Center offers a broad selection of activities, from pickleball, volleyball and martial arts to robotics, photography, biking and more. Performance series such as FamJam and Center Stage Comedy bring adventure to the stage while monthly events make free fun a priority, whether it’s swimming at Funday Sunday or gathering with other adults at Club55, formerly known as Senior Circle. Importantly, at Jones Center, no one is turned away because of their inability to pay. A comprehensive scholarship program, providing access to the center’s classes, activities and services, is available for qualifying individuals and families.
Beyond such visible means of impact, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Trust, the entity overseeing Jones Center, has long been quietly supporting nonprofit organizations that serve the greater community through the recently renamed Jones Community for Nonprofits. The initiative, which provides more than $2.5 million in annual space rental discounts across the organization’s Springdale and Rogers campuses, aims to bolster the resilience of the local nonprofit sector by sharing resources, fostering collaborations and empowering a skilled workforce with professional development opportunities.
“Bernice shouldn’t have fully known just how vital a space like this would become to a growing and changing Northwest Arkansas,” said Jones Center President Joe Lloyd in remarks delivered from the renovated ice rink during a launch event Aug. 20, “but she did, and that’s what visionaries do — they see possibilities before the rest of us do. The staff and I often reflect on what would Bernice do, and she would be proud of us today.”