We believe one reason Jake Hanby’s transition to Life Styles has been so successful is due to the foresight of his parents, Beth and Blake Hanby. They arranged for Jake to start attending College For Living classes the year before his graduation from Springdale’s Har-Ber high school, and scheduled staff to work with him in the family home while he was still living there with his parents and sister.

The family’s advance planning definitely paid off. Jake’s a regular fixture in the neighborhood near the Life Styles campus, living in a cozy duplex and walking with friends to classes in the morning, toting one of his many musical instruments—typically a guitar, trumpet, or trademark (red!) trombone.

To say Jake is a music lover would be an understatement: We can neither confirm nor deny that it has been suggested to Jake on more than one occasion that Saturday at 7AM is too early for outdoors-trombone-playing. He adores the Ohio State University marching band (“The Best Damn Band In The Land”), frequently reviewing their performances on his phone.

Jake also has an extensive flag collection (see photo!), a hobby which fueled many-a-CFL-class geography lesson.

Jake has been on the Medicaid Waiver waiting list for ten years now. While Beth and Blake look forward to the award of his benefits, they actively support Life Styles' efforts to grow and thrive, doing so in a myriad of ways.

Beth is always checking in on Jake and his roommates, making their day by dropping by with pizza or delivering other acts of kindness. Blake is the owner of City Title & Closing in Rogers, which has been a major sponsor of Life Styles’ Polo In The Ozarks fundraiser, and he also recently signed on to serve on the Life Styles board of directors.

We can see how fortunate Jake is to have such selfless supporters, and we count our organization very fortunate to know the Hanbys, too.

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Jane Hunt Meade, whose parents J.B. and Johnelle Hunt founded the country’s largest publicly owned trucking company in nearby Lowell, has been improving lives and enriching communities throughout Arkansas for decades. Whether as a junior high teacher or a nonprofit board member, Jane has consistently and tirelessly supported the children of our state—especially those living below the poverty line and within the foster care system.
 
Since relocating to Northwest Arkansas from Little Rock several years ago, Jane has met with countless nonprofits in both Benton and Washington counties to address poverty in our area. Her work inspired her to found a local Philanthropy Club composed of others interested in better understanding and supporting community needs in NWA. Life Styles had the opportunity to introduce its mission, programs, and clients to the Philanthropy Club last spring, just as the Covid-19 pandemic took hold, and afterwards was both elated and humbled to receive a generous gift funding the in-home meal delivery program we subsequently implemented.

The gift enabled Life Styles to provide two nutritious meals daily to our quarantined clients, for a pandemic total of more than 25,000 meals. What’s more, the program improved health outcomes—reducing participating clients’ body weight and blood pressure—while enhancing health safety and virtually eliminating food insecurity.

And now Life Styles clients can enjoy even more Hunt family generosity, as the Hunt's recently donated $5 million to the nearby Fayetteville library’s expansion project. Jane likens the 82,500-square-foot expansion to The Jones Center in Springdale or Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville as "gems" of Northwest Arkansas. We believe Jane herself falls into that rare category.