Arkansas
Community rallies behind Arkansas mother, GoFundMe more than doubles in less than 24 hours
LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — An Arkansas mother fighting for her life is now facing her transplant journey with renewed hope after an overwhelming surge of community support.
Just one day after sharing her story, 31-year-old Brittany Slater’s GoFundMe has skyrocketed from $4,300 to over $22,000; more than doubling her original $10,000 goal in less than 24 hours.
Slater, a mother of two, is battling both advanced kidney disease and heart failure.
She has been approved for a rare dual kidney and heart transplant, but needed financial help to cover expenses during a required 12-week recovery period away from home.
Since the story aired Tuesday afternoon, donations have poured in from 249 contributors. Among them, one person gave $2,000, three donated $1,000 each, and several others contributed hundreds more, reflecting what Slater calls an outpouring of love from both her local community and strangers.
“I was actually at the grocery store when it happened,” Slater said. “My mom called and told me to check it, and I just sat in the parking lot for about an hour crying. I was just full of joy. It was wonderful.”
The financial milestone is doing more than easing immediate concerns; it’s shifting Slater’s mindset as she prepares for the fight ahead.
“It’s making me want to push even harder, to keep fighting even harder,” she said. “If you’re going through something like this, don’t give up. Just keep going and have faith.”
The funds will help cover temporary housing near the transplant center, caregiving needs, childcare for her children, and basic living expenses like food and gas during recovery.
While insurance, including Medicare, is expected to cover much of the transplant itself, the additional costs tied to recovery created a significant burden for the family.
Slater’s mother, Carmenlita Bryant, who is also undergoing chemotherapy, started the fundraiser and said the response has brought both relief and reassurance during an already difficult time.
“It brings a lot of relief,” Bryant said. “Just knowing she’ll be away for three months and we have to figure out care for her children, this takes a huge burden off of us.”
Bryant said she never expected the level of support her daughter received, calling the response overwhelming.
“It just showed me that humanity still exists,” she said. “People who don’t even know us read her story and gave. We’re just so grateful.”
For Slater, the support goes beyond financial help; it’s a message she plans to carry with her into surgery and recovery.
“I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart,” she said. “Every donation, every prayer, it all means so much to me and my family.”
If you would like to support Brittany, you can access her GoFundMe here.
LITTLE ROCK, AR (KATV) — Faces of Arkansas, an ongoing series that highlights Arkansans each month, has selected Harold Jones, a 4th generation owner of Jones Bar-B-Q Diner in Marianna.
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced the series’ newest feature Monday, June 1.
Each featured Arkansan receives a written profile, portrait photograph, and a short video as part of the installment.
Just before you approach the historical establishment, you will see a white sign with nostalgic black lettering that reads: “Jones’ Bar-B-Q Diner — Jones’ Family Business Since 1910.”
The sign is a longtime landmark, that introduces you to where many consider the best barbeque destination in the South.
Good food, coupled with familiar faces has stood the test time at the widely acclaimed diner.
The current diner location first opened in 1964 on Louisiana Street. However, traces of its existence stretch back earlier than 1910.
Despite operating in the segregated South under Jim Crow, the establishment remained upbeat. Harold makes preparations to serve the community on a consistent, timely basis.
“12. I get up at 12,” said Harold. “Come down here and set everything up. Put the meat in the warmer there. Then come 7:00, open the doors up. Do that every day.”
Nationally, the diner has gained widespread acclaim. But here in the Natural State, it garners praise from customers of all backgrounds.
“I just try to take care of whoever come in that door,” he said. “You think about what you do for folks. You think about what folks do for you. So, you know, it’s a whole lot.” That may be the real secret behind Jones’ lasting more than a century. Not the smoker. Not the sauce. Not even the recipe. It’s the feeling people leave with after walking through those doors — the feeling that, for a little while, they belonged there.
Jones Bar-B-Q Diner was recognized as the first food destination in the state to receive the James Beard Award, followed by the foundation’s America’s Classics Award in 2012.
An interview with Jones can be found here.
Click here to learn more.
LAWRENCE, Kan. – No. 14 Arkansas (41-22) defeated Northeastern (39-22) 10-9 to escape the losers bracket and advance to the NCAA Lawrence Regional final, but ultimately saw its season end against No. 13 Kansas (45-16), the No. 15 national seed and regional host, with a 13-10 loss Sunday evening at Hoglund Ballpark.
The Hogs conclude the 2026 campaign with a 41-22 overall record, their SEC-best ninth consecutive 40-win season. Arkansas is one of two teams nationally (Southern Miss – 10) to accomplish the feat in nine or more consecutive years.
Despite the offense scoring 20 runs over two games on the day, the Razorback pitching staff struggled to post zeroes. Arkansas survived a late surge by Northeastern to pull out a win in Sunday’s elimination game and punch its ticket to the regional final, where it jumped out to a five-run lead over Kansas before allowing eight unanswered runs in its loss.
Between the two games, Arkansas belted eight home runs, including a pair of long balls by Reese Robinett in the win against Northeastern as well as a pair of homers by Ryder Helfrick in the finale against Kansas. Zack Stewart belted his 14th home run of the season against the Huskies before connecting on his 15th against the Jayhawks later in the day.
With his 15th homer of the year, Stewart became the fourth Razorback player with 15 or more home runs this season, joining Camden Kozeal (20), Helfrick (18) and TJ Pompey (15). Before 2026, Arkansas had never accomplished the feat.
Nolan Souza and Maika Niu also homered Sunday. Souza matched his career high with five RBI, including a two-run blast, against Northeastern, while Niu had career high-matching four hits, including a solo shot, and four RBI against Kansas. As a team, the Razorbacks finished the campaign with 105 home runs, good for fifth most in a season in program history.
Five Razorbacks – Helfrick, Robinett, Souza, Niu and Hunter Dietz, who struck out a career-high 14 batters in Saturday’s loss against Kansas – were named to the Lawrence Regional All-Tournament Team. Arkansas lost a road regional for the first time since 2014 at Virginia after winning its previous two road regionals at Oklahoma State in 2015 and 2022.
For complete coverage of Arkansas baseball, follow the Hogs on Twitter (@RazorbackBSB), Instagram (@RazorbackBSB) and Facebook (Arkansas Razorback Baseball).
Arkansas
Arkansas baseball notebook: Pitching depth catches up with Razorbacks in Kansas | Whole Hog Sports
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