Community Outreach

CRI is a proud supporter of the Marine Corps Toys for Tots Foundation, and its mission of delivering the magic of Christmas to disadvantaged children throughout the Northwest Arkansas community.

​A member of our management team, also a Marine Corps Veteran, currently serves as the co-project manager for the Northwest Arkansas chapter. Throughout the year, CRI supports the Toys for Tots Foundation by organizing fundraisers and providing volunteer support to collect new, unwrapped toys during the holiday season. CRI employees regularly participate in the Annual NWA Golf Tournament, and raise money through jeans days and other company competitions.

​In previous years, over 17,000 toys were collected in our office headquarters, which doubled as the area donation center. CRI employees volunteered to help sort, distribute, and collect toy donations.

CRI began Operation Handing out Gratitude (HOG) in 2011. Its mission is to collect donations and toiletry items from businesses and friends within the local community to package and send to U.S. service men and women that are stationed away from their home bases during the holiday season.

​Care packages include various toiletry and dried good items that are often requested; including, snacks, games, books, movies, socks, etc. CRI provides for all packaging of boxes and sponsors all shipping fees. Each year, this endeavor has seen tremendous growth. In November 2013, Central Research employees collected and packaged a total 130 boxes that were sent to soldiers stationed all over the world, with the majority being sent to Iraq and Afghanistan.

CRI has supported the greater community of Northwest Arkansas by presenting each year at the annual Rogers-Lowell Job Fair Expo. For the past few years, the topic of our presentation has been: The ABCs of Starting a Veteran-Owned Business. We strive for all of our Veterans to be made aware of the opportunities available to them in the community, and to be an example of what a Veteran-Owned small business can grow to become. In addition, CRI spends the day speaking to community members who are interested in learning more about future job opportunities.

Every quarter, CRI employees supply the “gift of life” by volunteering to donate blood through the Community Blood Center of the Ozarks (CBCO) mobile blood donation program.

​Donating blood to the CBCO supports the greater community by ensuring an adequate supply of blood for those who are in need of transfusions for medical reasons.The CBCO is a non-profit organization that is committed to providing the highest quality

of blood and blood products to area hospitals at the lowest possible cost.