Friends,

After the tornado struck Little Rock on March 31, you opened your hearts and your wallets to help Little Rock residents get back on their feet. Thousands of people from across the country and around the world provided immediate assistance through donations and volunteer efforts. 

We're amazed by the outpouring of support, including the contributions you've given to Little Rock Cares, a nonprofit established by the City of Little Rock to accept disaster relief donations. As of today, Little Rock Cares has received nearly $510,000 in contributions and confirmed pledges from hundreds of individual donors. 

We pledged that every penny donated to Little Rock Cares will be directed toward Little Rock tornado relief efforts, and with our distribution plan, we are keeping that promise.

The majority of Little Rock Cares balance will be distributed in the form of direct individual assistance to Little Rock residents impacted by the storm. A third-party administrator will manage the application and award process. We estimate about $310,000 will go toward individual assistance.

The remainder of Little Rock Cares funds, or about $200,000 will be distributed to various nonprofit agencies that supported response and recovery in Little Rock. Those organizations must stipulate that they will spend that money specifically for tornado relief in Little Rock.

We strive to be good stewards of the donations you've provided to Little Rock Cares, and we believe this plan does that. All donations will be used for the benefit of those who need it most, with no money set aside for administrative expenses.

As I've said before, the road to recovery will be long, but, by working together, we can rebuild Little Rock stronger and better than ever. Your donations will help us do just that. If you haven't already, please consider donating to Little Rock Cares. You can make your tax-exempt donation online.
 

The City of Little Rock has been selected by Bloomberg Philanthropies as a partner in the City Data Alliance. Last week, I joined mayors from across the Americas to learn how we can leverage data to make city government better for all our residents.

The City Data Alliance will help Little Rock use data in efficient and transformational ways in order to innovate and improve city services. The alliance offers tools and support for Little Rock to meet its goal by using data more effectively. The City is one of just 42 participants across seven different countries.

According to the Alliance, the program "helps mayors and their senior teams deepen their use of data to inform decisions, transform systems, understand impact and communicate results."

The Alliance is a partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence at Johns Hopkins University, the Harvard Kennedy School of Government Performance Lab, the Behavioral Insights Team, and Public Digital.

• The Little Rock Board of Directors will meet Tuesday, May 23, at 4 p.m. at The Centre at University Park, 6401 W. 12th St. The Board will set the agenda for its next regular meeting at that time. All board meetings are livestreamed on the City of Little Rock Facebook and YouTube pages. To view the agenda, click here.
• As Little Rock solicits public input on updates to its Stormwater Management and Drainage Design Manual. Interested stakeholders are asked to participate in an online survey and offer feedback at a series of public meetings. Two public meetings are scheduled this week. The first is today (Monday, May 22) at 6 p.m. at East Little Rock Community Center, 2500 E. Sixth St. Another meeting is Thursday, May 25, at the Adolphine Fletcher Terry Library, 2015 Napa Valley Drive.
• The Little Rock Parks Commission meets Wednesday, May 24, at noon at The Centre at University Park, 6401 W. 12th St.
• The Little Rock Sustainability Commission meets Wednesday, May 24, at 3 p.m. at the Willie L. Hinton Neighborhood Resource Center, 3805 W. 12th St. 
• City of Little Rock offices will be closed on Monday, May 29, in observance of Memorial Day. Solid waste and recycling pickup will run one day late next week because of the holiday. The next Monday Memo will be distributed on June 5. Have a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend!