CSA Finalist: Keith Brown

As we draw nearer to July 16th and the naming of the 2010 Community Service Award winners, we get to meet another finalist.

Like many residents of Hot Springs Village, he is not a native Arkansan, but he is making his mark in volunteerism.

Keith Brown and his wife Jean arrived in Hot Springs Village in 1984.

"I got active fairly quickly, with the boy scouts, for one," said Keith Brown, CSA finalist.  "I ran their financial drive in the village, initially was on the committee with some people from Hot Springs that were trying to coordinate things better, and shortly thereafter got on the golf committee for the POA. For a couple of years and on the Village Community Foundation, then ran for the POA Board, got elected, and a number of things since."

One of those things was a term as president of the then $25,000 member property owners' association in 1993 & 1994, when he obtained an unprecedented assessment increase.

"That assessment increase has meant a little bit more than a million dollars a year to the village ever since its been passed," said Mike Misch, Hot Springs Village POA President.

Keith keeps a hand in community affairs by attending meetings of the POA Board, the governing body of Hot Springs Village.

"Keith was on the board that applied for it, and Hot Springs Village happens to be the only community that received a Thousand Points of Light Award," said Dave Johnson, Hot Springs Village POA General Manager.  "All the others went to civic organizations and individuals for the most part."

Keith was an organizing member of the Village Bocce Club.

Recreation, government, culture, his church, and Kiwanis Club keep him busy.

"We have a lot of service activities that we're involved in all the time, and Keith is always available."

The Woodlands Theater is the villagers' culture and entertainment center; Keith spearheaded a drive to raise funds to furnish it.

"The goal was $250,000 and the community responded to his leadership by almost doubling that to 400 and something thousand dollars."

Keith was presented with the prestigious Presidents Award in 2009, but he is ever-modest about his contributions to the village.

"It's just what the villagers do.  They spend a million hours a year volunteering all over and it's just a lot of fun and you get some satisfaction out of that."

Keith is one of 12 finalists for six individual awards to be presented on July 16 at Reynolds Performance Hall at UCA.