A&P group advises newcomer about process

— During Tuesday’s meeting of the Camden Advertising and Promotion Commission, the group’s members gave tips about ways to advertise an event to a newcomer requesting funding for a car show.

Eric Gunter, founder and administrator of the E.B. Williams Youth Group, went to the commission to request advertising funding to hold a Corvette Car Show fundraiser to support the purchase of a building for the youth group to meet.

The E.B. Williams Youth Group helps the community’s youth by offering scholarships and giving students school supplies. Currently, the program is mobile and Gunter is looking for a building that can be used as a permanent place to meet.

He plans to hold the Corvette Car Show on March 28 in the old Walmart parking lot located in the Camden Market Shopping Center. He asked for help with purchasing banners and T-shirts, along with radio and newspaper advertising. He reported that he already has significantly-high interest in the event from the public because of his use of social media.

The commission had to inform him that its policy is only to fund requests for advertising and not the items associated with an event - such as shirts or banners. The commissioners offered him places to look for advertising the event. However, they were impressed that Gunter already has free advertisement through the television stations in Little Rock.

The commissioners considered Gunter’s proposal a first reading and asked him to do more research on advertising before returning to the commission for a second reading in February.

During the meeting, commissioners had to turn down the request for funding the advertisement of a gospel concert fundraiser in memory of the late Bishop Wallace Johnson to be held on April 11 at Calvary Baptist Church. The event’s representative stated that the funds would go toward the endowment of a scholarship to honor Johnson’s service to the community.

A&P Chairperson Clara Freeland stated that the commission’s mission is to support the promotion of parks and tourism, and the bylaws did not allow the group to give financial support to endowment funds.

The request for funding was denied by the commission and not voted on during the meeting.

In the meeting, the following requests were approved after a second reading:

• The Daffodil Festival for $10,000 to use for advertising,

• Arkansas South for $5,000 to use as seed money for tourism-promotion brochures.

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