Facilities Management Picnic Gives Early Start to U of A Live United Campaign

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From left, Warren Pingel, Peggy Comer and Bob Beeler, received pies in the face, while Rodney Hughes and Bobby Harris deliver them.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The annual Facilities Management Team and Client Appreciation Day Picnic fell on a damp and chilly Friday this year, but that didn’t keep almost 500 facilities workers and campus customers from having a great time. The picnics are always fun, with good food and activities, but this year’s fun had an extra purpose.

For this picnic the Facilities Management crew decided to hold a “Pie in the Face” fundraising event, a warm-up for the campus Everyday Heroes Live United campaign, which doesn’t officially start until Oct. 1.

For about two weeks before the picnic, facilities workers could donate $1 to nominate and vote for their favorite team member to get hit in the face with a whipped cream pie; six votes for $5. The competition was lively, with the lead changing every day, and finally the top six vote-getters were selected for the dubious honor.

Oddly, it was harder to find people willing to actually hurl the pies, but eventually six people with good aim and strong arms were selected to do the throwing.

The event was a highlight of the picnic — messy, fun, and drawing a lot of laughs — with the Everyday Heroes who took part raising $562 for the United Way of Northwest Arkansas, a nice kick-start for the campus Live United campaign.

And the facilities team is not stopping there. They have a bass fishing tournament scheduled for 7 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, at the Highway 12 bridge in Rogers. It’s open to all amateur fisher men, women or children, with the $25 entry fee going to the Live United campaign. Kids 12 and under fish for free. Registration is open until Tuesday, Sept. 30, at the Facilities Management office on Razorback Road. For more information contact Lori Kruse at lkruse@uark.edu. 

“I’m really proud of the way people here in Facilities Management are getting behind the Everyday Heroes campaign,” said Mike Johnson, associate vice chancellor for facilities and a campus coordinator for the campaign. “The University supports two campus-wide fundraisers each year, and Live United is the fall event. We see this as an opportunity for the campus community to support the people of Northwest Arkansas – including some who work or go to school here. There’s no obligation involved. We’re just trying to make this an easy – and fun – way to give.”