One Day of Goodness. 2,000 Nights for Families Who Need Them.

September 17 lasted just one day.

Its impact will stretch across thousands of nights.

This year, our community came together for Day of Goodness and Evening of Goodness, presented by Dempsey Bakery, a day of service, connection and generosity centered around families who travel to Little Rock for medical treatment and need a place to call home while they’re here.

By the end of the night, $177,000 had been raised to support the mission of Goodness Village.

It’s a number we’re incredibly proud of. But there’s another number that tells the story even better:

2,000.

The funds raised equate to approximately 2,000 nights of lodging for patients and families traveling to Little Rock for medical care.

Two thousand nights with a comfortable bed waiting after a long day at the hospital.

Two thousand nights with a kitchen to make dinner, a living room to sit together and a private space to call their own.

Two thousand nights when one less question has to be, “Where are we going to stay?”

That’s what one Day of Goodness can make possible.

A Day Built Around Service

Before the evening celebration ever began, our Village was already hard at work.

During the daytime portion of Day of Goodness, 86 volunteers contributed 254 hours of service to Goodness Village.

There were projects to complete, supplies to organize and plenty happening behind the scenes. But there was also an opportunity to show our community exactly what all that work is for.

And this year, that meant opening the door to Apartment 28.

78 Tours. One Brand-New Apartment.

Throughout Day of Goodness, 78 people toured Goodness Village Apartment #28, our newest furnished apartment for patients and families traveling to Little Rock for medical treatment.

Before the first family arrived with their suitcases, our community had the opportunity to step inside and see what their support helps create.

They saw the bedrooms ready for a good night’s rest. A fully equipped kitchen. A washer and dryer. A living room with space to be together.

They also got to see something that can be difficult to capture in a photograph or explain on a website:

Why a place to stay matters so much when you’re far from home.

There is a lot of work behind the number 28. There are donors, partners and volunteers. Furniture to assemble. Beds to make. A kitchen to stock. Towels to fold. Dozens of details carefully considered before a family ever turns the key.

Because to us, opening another apartment isn’t about adding another number.

It’s about opening another door.

Another family can stay together. Another caregiver has somewhere to rest. Another patient can remain close to the medical care that brought them to Little Rock in the first place.

Those 78 tours gave us the chance to tell that story before Apartment 28 began telling stories of its own.

Take a Look Inside

Couldn’t join us for Day of Goodness? You can still step inside.

Take a virtual tour of our Goodness Village apartments and see the spaces that become home for patients and families while they’re in Little Rock for medical treatment. Apartments – Goodness Village

An Official Day of Goodness in Little Rock

September 17 also held a special significance beyond our Village this year.

Mayor Frank Scott, Jr. proclaimed September 17 as Day of Goodness in the City of Little Rock.

That recognition meant a great deal to us.

Little Rock is where families from across Arkansas, the country and beyond come seeking specialized medical care. And it’s this community that continues to step forward to help us welcome them.

To see a day centered around service, generosity and caring for our neighbors recognized by the city we call home made an already special day even more so.

From Day of Goodness to Evening of Goodness

As the daytime projects wrapped up, our celebration continued with Evening of Goodness, presented by Dempsey Bakery.

Almost 200 people gathered to celebrate the mission of Goodness Village, hear the stories behind our work and recognize the people who continue to move that mission forward.

With the support of 50 sponsors, 36 evening volunteers and a room full of people who believe families shouldn’t have to face medical treatment away from home alone, $177,000 was raised.

Across the Day and Evening of Goodness, 122 volunteers helped make September 17th possible.

Those numbers tell us something important about the strength of Our Village.

But the real measure of the day comes afterward.

The Goodness That Happens Next

The tables have been cleared. The service projects are finished. Apartment 28 is ready to welcome families.

But the need continues.

Every week, patients and caregivers travel to Little Rock for cancer treatment, transplants, specialized pediatric care and other medical treatment that can keep them away from home for weeks or even months.

Goodness Village exists so that while they’re here, they have more than somewhere to sleep.

They have a home.

That’s why $177,000 raised means so much more to us than a fundraising total.

It means approximately 2,000 nights of lodging.

Two thousand nights closer to care.

Two thousand nights of families staying together.

Two thousand nights with somewhere to come home to.

September 17 may have been one Day of Goodness.

But the goodness made possible that day will be felt for thousands of nights to come.