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2023 Bella Vista City Guide | 11 Downsizing? Let The Experts Help. 3105 NE 5th Street, #5 Bentonville, AR 479-717-7710 www.lighthousegroupnwa.com • Sort • Pack • Move • Sell • And More! Nonprofits all over the country are experiencing a common problem. People just don't volunteer they way they used to. But while service clubs and agencies dependent on free labor are struggling, some organizations in Bella Vista seem to have found an answer. Bella Vista Fly Tyers Club Membership in the Fly Tyers Club has gone up since Covid restrictions were lied from about 150 to about 190. A new class of beginner fly tyers has been meeting since September. According to their website, the Bella Vista Fly Tyers Club is "a fishing, conservation and service club." While the group has frequent outings to fish, they also work closely with the Bella Vista POA on projects to benefit the fish population in the man made lakes. ey sponsor school outings so kids from Bentonville schools have the chance to learn about both fishing and conservation. e club met in Riordan Hall for years, but when Riordan was closed for a remodeling project, the Fly Tyers were one of several groups that had to find a new home. ey are happy in the basement of the United Lutheran Church on Cooper Road where they meet on ursdays at 9 a.m. and will probably remain there when Riordan reopens, President Donnie Roberts said. ey have a unique need. Along with space where members can meet, they need also need space to store fly tying supplies used in classes. It's hard to find that kind of space, Roberts confirmed. Coincidentally, they also had to find a new fund raiser. eir biggest fund raiser was always picking up cardboard for the Recycling Center. Members of the club went out in pairs during the early morning and visited various businesses to load up cardboard. ey received a portion of the proceeds based on how many hours their members worked. When the Recycling Center was forced to change their grant program because of higher costs, that volunteer job was eliminated. e Fly Tyers adapted by initiating a aluminum can program. ey pick up the cans from the POA golf courses and sell them to a recycler in Rogers, Roberts said. ere isn't a lot of money in cans, he added, but last year they earned about $2,000. ey also hold a couple of "sporting good sales" each year where members donate equipment they no longer use and the club keeps the profits. e club's biggest projects in recent years include fishing docks. ey partner with the POA for those projects. is year, they needed a new fishing dock off the Lake Windsor dam. at's where they bring large groups of school kids for fishing field trips and they needed the space. Because they are willing to donate funds toward the project, they were able to convince to the POA to build it. ey also helped with funds towards a improved fishing dock on Loch Lomond, near the marina and last year they donated funds to pay an intern to work with the lakes department. Bella Vista attracts active volunteers | By Lynn Atkins, Special to Bella Vista City Guide VOLUNTEERS continued on page 12