At Little Rock Family, we meet amazing people every day—moms, dads, grandparents, caregivers and role models who are making central Arkansas a wonderful place to live and raise families. We are thrilled to present the many stories of strong parenting and community leadership to our readers with every issue. That’s why we’re launching our first-ever Pioneering Parents feature this month. We wanted to recognize more parents and tell even more stories about local change makers who are helping children in Arkansas, and raising their own families along the way.

There’s just one twist: These parents were nominated by YOU. Peers, coworkers, grown children, friends and family wrote to us about the noteworthy people in their lives. Eventually, the staff at Little Rock Family narrowed our selections to these parents, each passionate about a different cause: Morality, Family, Health and Education.

Learn more about the work of each Pioneering Parent on the following profiles. Then, click here to nominate someone you know for next year’s class of Pioneering Parents.

Photography by Daniel Moody