By Ashton York

Are you ready to get your funk on? The Arkansas Support Network (ASN) is holding a Funk Festival fundraiser Sept. 22 at George’s Majestic Lounge, featuring several local bands and artists. The all-ages event will run from 3 to 8 p.m. and put the spotlight on Rodney Block, Funk Factory, Tim Anthony & Friends and The Funkanites.

Beyond showcasing local talent, the festival serves as a platform for community connection and awareness. The event intends to bring together a diverse audience and enhance public understanding of disabilities.

Tickets for the festival cost $75, and the funds will support children and adults with developmental disabilities in both their homes and communities, according to the Experience Fayetteville website.

Anthony Ball, a long-time musician and member of Funk Factory, said the festival lineup is full of some of the top musicians in Arkansas, and he is excited to see the variety of music and entertainment at the show. Funk Factory has plenty of experience working with ASN, having partnered with the organization during multiple fundraisers for around seven years. 

“We’ve always been great supporters of ASN,” Ball said. “They do really great work in the community. These are people in the community that a lot of people may forget about, but they do great work for them. So we’re always excited when they call us.”

ASN is a licensed disabilities service provider for all of Arkansas, with several offices across the state. It provides support and service to people with disabilities and their families from birth to adulthood.

Judson Spillyards, a member of The Funkanites, has played for several festivals and shows with his band. However, the Funk Festival will be the first time The Funkanites partner with ASN.

The Funkanites are based out of Little Rock and have been performing together for around 10 years, although the members come and go. The core members, however, have been playing together for nearly 16 years. 

“It’s like herding cats trying to make sure that all eight members are available for a gig,” Spillyards said. “We’ve only played in Fayetteville and Bentonville a handful of times. I know we’re all excited to get to play up there again.”

Spillyards knows several members of the other bands that will perform, and he said he is excited to spend time with people who share a passion for funk music. He also said he looks forward to playing at George’s Majestic, especially for a good cause. 

According to the ASN website, the organization’s main goal is to provide “the most effective and least restrictive supports for people with disabilities in environments they and their families choose for themselves.”

ASN CEO Syard Evans said most employees are direct support professionals that go to individual homes to give them support that would otherwise require institutionalization.

“The way that we want to be able to support people is really everything, it’s all aspects of life that you can imagine,” Evans said. “We’re really committed to making sure that people have those opportunities to live real lives – meaningful lives.”

Evans began working with ASN as a college student in need of a part-time job. Nearly 25 years later, she is the CEO and focuses on providing the map that is necessary for a large organization to stay true to its mission and values.

Her role consists of heavily advocating for these individuals at both state and national levels to ensure better funding and keeping regulations from holding the agency back.

“One of the biggest threats to us as an agency is the fact that society really devalues the people we support,” Evans said. “We’re always working to develop standard operating procedures and to utilize tools to make sure we’re empowering the people we support, and that we really are supporting them to live the lives that they want.”

Evans said she enjoys meeting people where they are at to learn more about them and design individual support plans. 

ASN is a nonprofit service provider, which means Medicaid is its main source of revenue. Fundraisers help the organization to expand its services enough to connect people to their communities in meaningful ways, Evans said.

“We call it our Building Better Communities Initiative,” Evans said. “Medicaid doesn’t provide a support for these programs and services, but we recognize that they’re valuable and allow people to maintain their homes and their lives and their communities and their friendships.”

ASN will hold another event closer to holiday season to provide a more diverse range of resources for families celebrating any cultural holiday. Evans said many of the families ASN supports are on fixed incomes and do not have extra resources to go into the holidays, but many of the offered holiday resources do not include some traditions.

“We have kind of taken it upon ourselves to make sure the folks we support can celebrate their customs and traditions and be able to participate in the activities and events that are important to them,” Evans said. 

Evans said it is important that ASN’s fundraisers are accessible and enjoyable for the people they support and the people who work for the organization. The ASN Funk Festival will hence feature a brief awards presentation to highlight to those involved with fundraising initiatives.

The festival will use its platform to also showcase stories from people who have received benefits from past ASN programs, which is intended to help attendees connect with the impact of what the organization provides.

Those wishing to request services provided by ASN can complete a service inquiry form on the ASN website. The website also offers more information about the specialized programs for individuals and families that ASN supports.

“We’re big believers in what they do and what they stand for and the people [ASN] serves,” Ball said. “We’re big fans. They’re big fans of us, but we’re huge fans of what they do in the community.”