Jones Center marks its 30th anniversary this year, and stepping onto the campus in downtown Springdale, it’s easy to understand why the milestone feels monumental.
The 220,000-square-foot building hums with life: families swirl across the ice rink, basketball thuds and sneaker squeaks ring out from the gymnasium, neighbors pause in conversation as they pass in the corridors, and the distant splash of swimmers punctuates laughter in the pool. It’s a place where curiosity meets community, where learning, play, and connection unfold seamlessly across generations. Every corner is imbued with a sense of purpose that reflects a singular vision: a center for all, built to help everyone thrive.
For President and CEO Joe Lloyd, the anniversary is more than a celebration. It’s a moment to honor the foresight of founder and local philanthropist Bernice Jones, whose gift in 1995 transformed an old trucking terminal into a regional destination. “Thirty years is an incredible milestone,” Lloyd reflects. “In talking to the board, the staff, our constituents in the community, I thought it really important to harmonize what Bernice’s extraordinary vision was back then with this clear, powerful purpose of positioning ourselves for the next 30 and beyond.”
Bernice gave Northwest Arkansas a physical space that would become a cornerstone of fellowship because she believed a community with places to gather and learn would be healthier and stronger. What Lloyd and his team have done is listen for ways to continue providing that resource to the community that meet today’s needs. The word harmonize surfaces often when he describes the facility’s past few years — a period marked, in his view, by recalibration and alignment. Lloyd, who took the helm in June 2024, smiles as he explains the discovery that the Center’s modern strategic plan mirrors the founder’s ambitions with uncanny precision. “I really wanted to make sure that we were honoring her lasting impact, plus positioning ourselves to serve the community. It was just a beautiful cherry on top.”
Jones’ vision was straightforward: a community center where all are welcome, regardless of their ability to pay, with programs and experiences that would foster growth, connection, and joy. “I want the people of the community to realize that Jones Center is not just for me, but for everybody… and to be part of it; because I want this to go on for years and years when I can’t be here anymore,” she said when it opened. Three decades later, those values are still a throughline connecting a past of purpose with the building’s next chapter. Staff members love hearing stories from guests who came ice skating as a child and now share the rink with their own children, or someone who visited a website for the very first time or submitted their first job application on the Center’s computers even before the local library had public access machines. The organization’s four pillars — arts and culture, sports and recreation, science and technology, and nonprofit sustainability — tell a story of continuation, not reinvention.
Bernice and her husband, Harvey Jones, were fixtures of generosity and civic engagement in Springdale. The founder of Jones Truck Lines, Harvey supported local schools and hospitals, often stepping in personally when community resources fell short. Bernice was a former teacher and dedicated herself to children’s programs and healthcare initiatives, leaving an enduring imprint that would eventually culminate in The Harvey and Bernice Jones Center for Families — now known as Jones Center. Their hearts for inclusivity and service live on through the Center’s Access for Everyone program, which provides membership scholarships to local families, ensuring financial barriers never prevent anyone from participating.
Few initiatives embody that continuity and community impact as vividly as the growing Every Child Swims program. “Arguably, it probably needs to be called a ‘no child drowns program,’ because drowning is one of the leading causes of death at that young, most vulnerable age,” Lloyd says of the shocking statistic that Arkansas is one of the highest-ranking states nationwide in child drowning fatalities. In response to learning this tragic stat, Jones Center launched the pilot in 2024 with Jones Elementary, testing the swim skills of local third-graders — a critical age for competency. Of 63 children tested, only 13 could swim. Jones Center enrolled the rest in free after-school water safety and swimming lessons, provided transportation, fed the kids on lesson evenings, and included free family memberships with the program to remove many of the common barriers to access — often, empowering parents or siblings to come back for swim lessons of their own, Lloyd reveals.
Overwhelmingly positive feedback from parents and their kiddos, and measurable skill improvement from 86% of the students, made it possible to add Parson Hills Elementary to the program this school year with future hopes to eventually offer every child in Springdale an opportunity to learn to swim at Jones Center. The stories emerging from the program speak to both need and impact. Leslie Leonard, SVP, GMM Merchandising over Beauty & Personal Care at Walmart, was part of Walmart’s Fashion team last year that stepped in to provide swimwear to all of the participating children and recalls a touching moment she won’t soon forget. “A little boy came up to one of my merchants at the event and the merchant got down on one knee so they’re talking eye-to-eye. He was very clearly wearing his father’s swim trunks,” she says softly. “The little boy had tears in his eyes and says, ‘I’ve never owned my own bathing suit before,’ and he just gave the buyer this huge hug. It’s small stories like that that show how we can make a difference.”
Leonard already carried a deep appreciation for Jones Center because, when her family relocated to Northwest Arkansas a little over three years ago, the facility offered an immediate anchor in a place where they didn’t yet know anyone. Her son, an avid hockey player, found himself stepping into tryouts as the new kid — a tough moment in any eighth-grader’s world — and what happened next left an imprint on the whole family. “There were two twins at the bottom of the stairs, and they held out their hands and, in his friendly Southern accent, one of them says, ‘Hi Riley, I’m Brett. Welcome to Northwest Arkansas!’” Leonard remembers with a smile. “Just, immediately, these boys scooped up my son and he became one of the ‘Hockey Bros,’ as they call each other, and we had a community.” That simple gesture of belonging, extended before anyone even laced up skates, reflects the kind of connection the Center has been cultivating since its earliest days.
That same spirit of openness and inclusion continues to define Jones Center. The 55-acre campus is a hub for movement and learning for all ages with its mix of indoor and outdoor recreation spaces, including Northwest Arkansas’ only indoor ice arena, the Tyson Foods Fitness Center, an indoor pools complex, a gymnasium with an indoor track, and a fully equipped conference center. Outside, the world-class Runway Bike Park, Velosolutions pump track, and multipurpose recreation areas invite families to easily fold active moments and exploration into their everyday lives. Even the building itself tells a story, preserving elements of the original trucking terminal while accommodating modern programming that touches every corner of community life.
The Center’s reach is staggering. Last year, memberships climbed, Access for Everyone scholarship support for families expanded, summer camps and day camps served more than 1,500 children from 33 cities, arts programming increased from three performances in 2023 to 16, and nearly 600,000 visits were recorded — more than half from non-Springdale residents, Lloyd notes. It has become a regional epicenter for ice sports, drawing figure skaters, hockey players, and fans from Dallas to Tulsa, Little Rock to Kansas City. Swim meets hosted here attract athletes statewide. “We’re more than a dot on a map; we’re a circle in a region,” Lloyd observes. Those numbers matter because they add up to access — to chances to move, to learn, to connect — the day-to-day things that actually make a community healthier.
For Lloyd, these numbers are not just metrics; they are stories in motion. He reflects on his own connection to the Jones family and the Center, which predates his tenure. “I spent 30 years at Tyson, and the son of our founder, Don Tyson, introduced me to Bernice many years ago at a Christmas parade,” he recalls. “It was during that time I learned of Don’s commitment — he promised her that he would take care of this community. That was the only time I ever met Bernice, but I knew of Tyson Foods’ commitment to the Center. So, when I ended up leaving Tyson and we decided on staying in Northwest Arkansas, I thought, ‘Boy, this would be a great place to work.’ Now I get to represent both Tyson and Jones legacies in helping Springdale and the NWA region thrive as well.”
Another part of the building’s heartbeat is its nonprofit ecosystem. Bernice’s original vision saw Jones Center as a place where community organizations could begin without bearing the full weight of operating costs. “Quietly over the past 30 years, this organization has financially supported hundreds of nonprofits from their birth to adulthood,” Lloyd affirms. Today, more than $2.5 million in subsidized lease arrangements help support more than 100 resident affiliate nonprofits across the organization’s Jones Community for Nonprofits campuses in Rogers and Springdale, along with operational guidance and a network of resources. These nonprofits serve more than 270,000 residents across the region. The anniversary kicks off a new era of Jones Center further bolstering the resilience of NWA’s nonprofit sector by embedding capacity building, training, marketing exchanges, and volunteer coordination to keep that mission moving forward.
It’s the kind of civic infrastructure most people don’t notice until they need it, yet casts a wide ripple effect: when nonprofits thrive, the services they provide become more reliable and bolder. Lloyd frames that work as patient and careful. “This is not a cookie-cutter approach. Each nonprofit is so unique, and that’s what I’ve learned to appreciate,” he says. The Center’s role is to give them a runway. “Whether you’re standing up a new nonprofit or trying to recreate and modernize as we are today, we have resources here to help them do that.”
While Bernice established an endowment to care for the Center in perpetuity, it only supports 20% of operating expenses annually. Jones Center relies on donations from the community to provide Access for Everyone scholarships and affordable public programs. Individual supporters, local foundations, and corporate partners provide another 20% of the total revenue needed for Jones Center to provide its services.
Corporate partners also benefit from Jones Center’s commitment to connection. Procter & Gamble recently brought 250 people to the venue for an action-planning offsite because of its modern meeting rooms and unique recreational amenities, allowing them to design a day blending strategic work with meaningful and fun team-building experiences. “Jones Center is the only place in Northwest Arkansas that can combine large meeting spaces, multiple breakout rooms, and fantastic team-building activities — all in a way that inspires creativity and teamwork,” shares Megan Timberlake, P&G Global Walmart Team Leader. “Hosting our event there was also a great way to invest in a place that uplifts families in need and supports people of all ages and backgrounds. Jones Center is a true community anchor that uplifts families, fosters connection, and builds a more vibrant community.”
If the Center’s past shows Bernice’s heart, its present also reveals a strategy for the future. The organization has a growing endowment, a staff that Lloyd describes as uncommonly innovative, and a board that’s committed to carefully expanding the campus. A Design Excellence Grant from the Walton Family Foundation has helped the team imagine final redesign plans for the 55-acre site that include more recreation, wellness, and gathering spaces. There’s also early thinking about a volunteer center — an infrastructure project designed to seed a regional culture of service. “We want Northwest Arkansas to be a great place to live, work, play — and serve,” Lloyd says. “Connecting people through volunteerism while supporting nonprofits is a win-win.”
Lloyd’s philosophy extends beyond operational leadership. Inspired by his father’s mantra to “spend your life giving it away,” he frames the Center’s work as an exercise in service. “If we could all get around this living a life of service…once you figure that out, then you’re doing things from your heart rather than your head,” he says. That mindset permeates the culture, empowering staff to innovate while preserving the Center’s foundational mission of accessibility and inclusivity.
Communications Specialist Susan Cui, who only recently moved to the area, learned quickly and hears often what a special resource it is for the community. “I’ll meet people randomly, and they’ll say, ‘Oh, the Jones Center is such a gem. They make such a difference in people’s lives,’” she shares. Cui’s perspective is useful; it reminds long-time locals, and invites newcomers, to see the Center as part neighborhood hub and part regional calling card.
The anniversary year also offered an opportunity to solidify a refreshed identity for the Center. A new tagline — the tidy promise of “Your Place to Thrive” — is as much about invitation as it is identity. Jones Center leadership wanted something people could remember and feel, something that folded Bernice’s generous spirit into modern programming. “We wanted it to be very meaningful, digestible, easy to quote, and live by,” Lloyd details. Thrive is more than a word; it captures Jones Center’s guiding principles: Teamwork, Honesty, Resourcefulness, Inclusion, Vision, and Energy. That means not just rebooting logos but thinking expansively about who the Center serves. “A lot of people will come here for one thing, but we always hope that they’ll discover something new,” Cui notes. Whether it’s a parent waiting during their child’s swim practice who decides to walk the track, or a member who comes in for their workout and is prompted to check out a Saturday performance, Jones Center is designed to keep curiosity in play.
Bernice and Harvey Jones’ legacy is threaded through those everyday stories. The couple invested significantly both locally and across the state, with gifts supporting hospitals, scholarships, and endowments, including close to $200 million outside of Northwest Arkansas. Those contributions extend Bernice’s original intention: to create a place where the community can thrive, not just today but for generations to come. “It’s not like we just became regional,” Lloyd points out. “It’s like Bernice and Harvey’s heart was regional, from a state perspective.” Their giving seeded healthcare and learning institutions across Arkansas, and the Jones name has become shorthand for civic muscle and intentional engagement.
Jones Center’s anniversary is a good occasion to come by for a swim, for a class, for a concert; to stand in the lobby and watch the flow of life; to watch a child find balance on skates or a parent take a confident, supported stroke across the shallow end. It’s also a reminder: civic institutions built with generosity are not static monuments. They are places where people come to be better at living — healthier, happier, more curious, and more connected. For Northwest Arkansas, Jones Center has been that place for 30 years; the next 30 will be another test of how a region and its people imagine care together.
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