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Proud People & Places 8C n Wednesday, June 27, 2018 Siloam Springs Herald-Leader If you'd like to join the Siloam Springs Chamber of Commerce or would like more information, please visit our website and check out our social media channels below! www.siloamchamber.com As a non-profit, we have many resources available to employees, CEOs, small business owners and entrepreneurs. No matter the stage of business you're in, we want to help! Calling All Entrepreneurs! vocational work was not an option. But drawing, a skill Hunter excelled in as a child, was. Hunter arranged for a babysitter and began pur - suing classes at the North- west Arkansas Community College for an associate's degree in graphic design. The application process came outfitted with a heavy emphasis on scholarships, Hunter said. Eventually she found out about the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Benton County, to which she now attributes much of her educational success. "Anytime you needed them, they were there," Hunter said. "Any obstacle to education that could possibly come up, they were ready. They have such a great network of people who just care." From computers to art supplies to budget man - agement to babysitting, the SPSFBC offered more than just financial aid, Hunter said. A primary mission of the Scholarship fund is "to enable single parents to attain self-sufficiency through post-secondary education," according to its website. That's accom - plished via mentoring, counseling and guidance, life skills workshops and scholarships, according to the website. That mission was estab - lished in part by the unspo- ken founders of philanthro- py in Northwest Arkansas, Hunter said. Women like Bernice Jones, Margarie Wolf and Helen Walton not only gave back what they could but inspired single parents and others less fortunate than themselves to continue pursuing an education and careers. As of 2017, the SPSFBC awarded 243 scholarships totaling $245,150, said Krystle Goodwin-Gonzalez, development director for the SPSFBC. For Hunter's education, the combination of a GI Bill and scholarships al - lowed her to graduate from NWACC and transfer to John Brown University to finish her schooling. While there, help from the SPS- FBC allowed her to live on campus with her then four- year old son and explore internships and jobs. Post degree, Hunter ad- mits she never had her sights set on taking her graphic design skills and funneling them into her own business. It was the faith her community had in her that encouraged her to begin looking at open - ing one of the few graphic design companies on the west side of Benton County. Today, Hunter services all of Northwest Arkansas with a photographer, designers, production manager and interns at Inuendos Design Co. on Tulsa Street. More than anything, Hunter hopes her business leaves an impact on the Siloam Springs community by investing in four distinct pillars; environment, com - munity, customers, self. "For community, I allow everyone 40 hours a year, paid time off to volunteer in their community," Hunter said. "For customers, it means making their lives easier by trying to make the transaction as easy as possible and educating them so they can make the best choice possible. And keeping our word. If we say we're going to have it on Wednesday, we try to have it on Wednesday." Her son, a University of Central Arkansas graduate, has stayed true to those pillars while watching his mother work to open and run her own business. "One thing I think he's gotten is the drive to be better every day. He focuses on his health, his educa - tion. He knows he can't change the whole world, so he focuses on changing himself." For herself, Hunter wants to stay true to what she founded Inuendos on — "we do good work" — and continue giving back to her community. HUNTER Continued from Page 2C what they're doing." The Department's rela- tionship with the Veterans of Foreign Wars required Huffman submit his De- partment award to District One, which has 10 posts in Northwest Arkansas. District One Commander Frank Lee said Huffman was first selected as VFW's Firefighter of the Year for his district and was then sub - mitted to the state, which he subsequently won. All selections are based on a firefighter's resume, which includes things like department awards and certifications, Lee said. On a state scale, Huff - man feels like his four- years of full-time experi- ence haven't made him worthy of accepting such an honor. "It isn't something that makes me feel like I'm the best, because I know there are a lot better firefighters than me, who have fought a lot more fires and seen a lot more," Huffman said. "Maybe it shows I'm profi - cient at what I know." His wife, Sophie, dis- agrees. "Every time I turn around, he's getting an- other certification. He pours himself into helping others." The effort doesn't re- quire anything Huffman isn't already willing to give. "I grew up here. This is my town. My family lives here, my friends live here. I want to take care of people I know, see people I know. I'm glad that I get to serve this community that I grew up in and give back to them." His dad would have been just as proud. "I know he was really proud of me already and he would be super duper proud of me receiving these awards," Huffman said. "Everyone would know. He was excited just for me to become a firefighter and go to EMT school. He loved it." Being the state's 2017 Firefighter of the Year is something Huffman hopes the community shares in. "I hope it inspires the community. We may be a small town here in North - west Arkansas compared to the corridor of these bigger cities, but yet we still have good talent here and we still have good, trained, hard-working in - dividuals working in this community." HUFFMAN Continued from Page 2C I grew up here. This is my town. My family lives here, my friends live here. I want to take care of people I know, see people I know. I'm glad that I get to serve this community that I grew up in and give back to them. Kyle Huffman Siloam Springs firefighter Sierra Bush/Special to the Herald-Leader Shawn Hunter, owner of Inuendos Design Co., attributes much of her education success to the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Benton County. A nytime you needed them, they were there. Any obstacle to education that could possibly come up, they were ready. They have such a great network of people who just care. Shawn Hunter Owner of Inuendos Design Co., on the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Benton County.