Craig O’Neill to Speak at Project Transformation Arkansas Luncheon April 14

Craig O’Neill, recently retired anchor at Little Rock CBS-affiliate KTHV Ch. 11 and all-around entertainer and philanthropist, will speak at noon at St. James United Methodist Church on Tues., Apr. 14 as part of Project Transformation Arkansas’s annual fundraising luncheon.

For more than 50 years, Craig O’Neill has been a beloved and trusted voice in Little Rock broadcasting, from his reign as the king of morning radio to his role as lead anchor of KTHV Channel 11’s 10 p.m. news. Now recently retired, Craig is embarking on a new chapter with Craig’s Reader Road Trip, sponsored by Baldwin & Shell Construction, inspiring communities through his passion for literature and lifelong learning. A self-described “reborn reader,” he has dedicated himself to promoting literacy across Arkansas schools while continuing to champion thoughtful citizenship and civic engagement. With his trademark wit, warmth and wisdom, Craig brings both humor and heart to every stage he steps on.

The mission of Project Transformation Arkansas (PT Arkansas) is to transform communities by engaging children, college-age young adults and churches in purposeful relationships. In the summer of 2022, PT Arkansas launched its first summer program, engaging 10 young adults and dozens of partnering churches and volunteers in ministry and service together with more than 50 children in two host churches located in neighborhoods that are under-resourced in Pine Bluff. Today, PT Arkansas has two campuses – one in Pine Bluff and another in Little Rock – both of which provide a summer day camp experience to under-resourced elementary school students and their families.

“We provide two key services,” said Rev. Samantha Meadors, executive director of PT Arkansas. “First is leadership development and ministry exploration opportunities for college-age young adults through summer service internships. The second is community-oriented summer day camp programming for children and youth. The young adults lead programming, giving them authentic, hands-on experiences leading high-quality programs for children and youth and equally important, learning from the children and youth.

“Our programs focus on enriching the body, mind and spirit, but we place a unique emphasis on literacy and social-emotional learning. During the summer, each child is paired daily with a volunteer to read one-to-one. Programs are strategically housed in churches in the heart of communities that are under-resourced,” Rev. Meadors said. “This partnership between host churches and PT Arkansas is designed so that churches can leverage the program to make new connections and form meaningful relationships with families in their immediate neighborhood.”

For more information about PT Arkansas, visit https://projecttransformation.org/arkansas/. To inquire about sponsoring or attending the Pine Bluff or Little Rock luncheons, contact Rev. Meadors at SMeadors@PTArkansas.org or 501-650-0565, or KD Reep, director of development, at Kelli@FlywriteCommunications.com or 501-766-1260.