'Jump Start June's Heart' set for Saturday in Decatur

June Walls
June Walls

— Community members and school employees are working together to get ready for the Jump Start June’s Heart benefit auction and chili supper for June Walls, planned for Saturday.

The benefit - planned to raise money to help with June’s medical expenses - will be held at the Decatur Northside Elementary School Cafeteria.

June is in urgent need of a heart transplant after suffering from several heart attacks and related complications over the past year. She is currently number one on the transplant list at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City and is unable to leave the Intensive Care Unit until she receives anew heart, according to Jane McAdoo, who is helping organize the benefit.

“Everybody needs to come out and support her because the medical expenses are going to be unbelievable,” said McAdoo.

The entire Walls family is in need of community support, said Kayla Ellison, who is also helping organize the benefit.

June’smother, Bernice, has recently been faced with serious medical problems as well, she said.

Elementary school children have joined the effort to raise money for June’s medical expenses witha coin drive that will continue throughout the week. June has worked at the school district for more than 10 years at both the elementary- and middleschool levels.

She has taught elementary art, served as a seventhgrade basketball coach and a cheer coach and has kept the basketball books for 10 years. June has also workedat the swimming pools in both Decatur and Gravette for several years.

June is a big part of the Decatur communityas well as the school. She attended Decatur Schools from kindergarten until she graduated in 1992, and she participated in many extra curricular activities, including basketball and cheer leading.

She has been very involved in pageants and she modeled for Seventeen and Glamour magazine. She held several titles, including Miss Decatur Barbecue, and has continued as the director of the Decatur Barbecue Pageant for the past eight years.

The chili supper will begin at 4 p.m., April 9, at the Decatur NorthsideElementary School Cafeteria. Dwayne Craig and Rob Hopkins will serve as auctioneers for the benefit auction which will begin between 6 and 7 p.m.

Benefit organizers are welcoming donations of desserts or new items for the auction.

Donations of desserts or auction items can be brought to the elementary school any time after 10 a.m. on Saturday, McAdoo said. Auction items can also be dropped off at city hall during the week, she said.

Supporters have also set up an account for June at the Decatur State Bank. Those who would like to make a contribution can make checks out to the June Walls Benefit account and deposit them in person or mail them to the bank at P.O. Box 38, Decatur.

For more information, contact Vicki Smith, Margo Barnes or Kayla Ellison at the Decatur Northside Elementary School, 752-3981.

News, Pages 2 on 04/06/2011