Our volunteers are a diverse group of people who use their time, talents and skills to support Walton Arts Center’s mission of bringing inspiring arts programs to Northwest Arkansas. Without their dedication to our community and the performing arts, Walton Arts Center could not provide the high-quality programming it does year-round. For Volunteer Appreciation Month, we want to highlight just a few of the amazing people who make everything we do at WAC possible.

Fernanda Kanashiro

Fernanda began volunteering at WAC in August 2018 after moving to Fayetteville from Brazil earlier that year. Because she wasn’t able to work, Fernanda was looking for ways to engage with the community. While she was studying English at Ozark Literacy Council, she learned about the opportunity to support the arts by volunteering at WAC and has been doing so ever since. Fernanda enjoys working with the kind staff and volunteer team, meeting new people and enjoying shows.

Fernanda’s favorite part of volunteering is working on educational programming for children. She said, “I love to see their reactions as they laugh, sing, clap and are amazed by the new world they discover.”

Denise May & Curtis Hendricks

Denise May and Curtis Hendricks were looking for a way to give back to the community and support the arts when they retired after teaching overseas for 26 years. After seeing a few shows at WAC and being impressed by the quality of the performances, they decided to volunteer. They said, “If someone loves the arts and has time on their hands, volunteering at WAC is a very fulfilling experience.”

Denise and Curtis love to dress up in costumes. So, when they got to work as ushers for Rocky Horror Picture Show, they dressed for the part. Seeing the smiles of patrons as they helped them throughout the show is one of their favorite memories at WAC.

While it was a difficult choice, Denise and Curtis agree that Les Misérables is their favorite Broadway show they have seen at WAC. They are both excited that Hamilton is coming in 2022.

Hali McMillan

After hearing about her friend’s positive experience, Hali McMillan decided to start volunteering at WAC and worked her first show in February 2018. Hali loves helping people as they get to experience live performances. She said, “The service patrons receive impacts the way they feel about the entire experience, and everyone deserves to have a positive, comfortable and memorable experience when engaging in the performing arts!”

Hali would encourage other people to volunteer because of the friendly atmosphere at WAC. She says that volunteering allows her to meet people with similar interests and that she always leaves with a good feeling for having done something productive and fun in her spare time.

Richard Gerety

Newly retired and new to Fayetteville, Richard Gerety was looking for ways to connect with the community, meet new people and find structure. He found all of this and more when he started volunteering at WAC.

Richard believes that giving back to the community, either through donations of money or time, is important. He said, “I’ve lived all over the Southeast of our country and what we have here in NWA is very special.”

Volunteering at WAC, allows Richard to play a role in helping to enrich NWA by making performing arts accessible to the community.

Chidam Iyer

Chidam Iyer has been a volunteer at WAC since September 2018. While volunteering, he enjoys making friends almost as much as the scrumptious cakes he sometimes gets to enjoy from other volunteers. (Several of the bakers in the volunteer corps make cakes during our multi-day shows to keep them energized. You have to be a volunteer to experience it!) Recently, Chidam enjoyed the opportunity to be the on-stage usher for Once on this Island and he loved getting to see the show from a different perspective.

Chidam encourages others to volunteer if they are looking for a way to make new friends, get to know people who a different than them and experience quality performing arts.

Want to volunteer? Click here to learn more!