11 May 2025 Cook with fire

By Rita Halter Thomas

Sometimes, all it takes to ignite a fire is one little spark, or a firecracker like Kimberly Cook, founder of Live Thankfully Little Rock, a nonprofit upscale resale boutique with a mission to serve and support others.

On North Rodney Parham in the Sturbridge Shopping Center, the storefront of this boutique may look like any other upscale retail store. However, it is anything but ordinary. “[Live Thankfully] unites those wanting to ‘do something extra’ when cleaning out their closets with shoppers who appreciate their money going to good causes, such as Immerse Arkansas,” said Kristin Frankowski, board president for Live Thankfully. “[Kimberly] and her volunteers not only create a bright and fun store in which to shop, but foster an environment where concerns are heard, and prayer and support are shared.”

The idea for Live Thankfully began smoldering nine years ago. “We were taking 30 students from my teenagers’ high school to Africa to serve widows, street children and orphans. I just saw a change in these teenagers as we were calling them up to serve and care for others. When we came back, I was looking for opportunities in Little Rock for us to continue serving,” Cook said.

Around that same time, she and her husband, Robert, attended a banquet in support of Immerse Arkansas, an organization founded to support youth aging out of foster care. “They had seen kids just taken to a bus stop with whatever was in their pocket and whatever was on their back. A lot of times these kids haven’t finished high school. They don’t have jobs. They don’t have a family, so the outcome for them is very dismal unless they have people come alongside them. That’s how Immerse got started,” she said. “It’s realizing we have to immerse ourselves and come alongside these youth, and do the slow work of restoring them from the trauma of being placed in one placement after another in the foster care system.”

The banquet presentation kindled in her the desire to help. Cook and her husband, Robert, talked to their kids. The kids suggested a garage sale to raise money. As they shared the purpose for the sale in their community, they received so many donations that they opened a pop-up store to sell the items left from the initial sale. Word of their efforts spread like wildfire, igniting the community into action, and more donations arrived. A weekend turned into a week, then a month, a year, and it’s still going strong eight years later.

Seeing this fire of compassion burn so brightly in the community, the Cooks reached out to Eric and Kara Gilmore, founders of Immerse Arkansas, to discuss coming alongside them and forging a ministry partnership. The additional financial support would allow Immerse to do more for youth in crisis.

While Live Thankfully gives grants to other nonprofits, Immerse Arkansas is its primary ministry partner. To date, Immerse has received more than ^$300,000 of the store’s proceeds with ^$100,000 of that given last year alone. It is on target to donate ^$125,000 this year. By its 10th anniversary in 2027, Cook’s goal is for Live Thankfully to have donated ^$500,000 or more to Immerse.

“Clearly, the financial resources that Live Thankfully creates allow us to do a lot more for youth in crisis,” said Tanner Mezel, board president for Immerse Arkansas. “But one of the most powerful parts of it is the way it gets the community involved.”

It’s not just about saving 75-80 percent off upscale name-brand items at Live Thankfully, but shopping there seems right on so many levels. “We designed the shop like a boutique to give women dignity and honor as they come to shop. Some women can only afford the ^$5 item. Some women are coming straight from prison with a gift card we provided for them. Some women are coming to look for their favorite name brands for less,” Cook said.

The “journey of generosity,” as Live Thankfully calls it, begins as people SHARE items from their closet or home, knowing that contribution will make a difference. Last year, they picked up 156 truckloads of clothing and furniture.

Next, as people SHOP the store for women’s clothing, accessories, furniture and home goods, they are contributing financially to help youth in crisis. Last year, there were more than 12,000 transactions, meaning 12,000 moments of generosity experienced!

The community also makes a difference when they SERVE as volunteers, giving generously of their time and talent working in the store. While Cook has nine paid part-time staff, more than 30 volunteers gave more than 2,550 hours of their time last year.

“Some of the [Immerse] youth we serve go there to serve, but it’s not just a little internship to gain some skills. There are so many layers to Live Thankfully and it’s so symbiotic with what we are trying to do. We can have kids go there, be coached, learn some basic retail and business skills, and learn what it takes to be successful. That’s pure gold,” Mezel said.

“My impression is everybody who comes in the door at Live Thankfully, at some level, knows the good they’re doing in the community. People just want to be a part of that. Everyone, whether it’s donating items or buying, is a huge part of making good things happen in our community,” said Mezel.

The community may also SUPPORT their efforts by donating directly to any of their initiatives through the Live Thankfully website. One hundred percent of the proceeds are given back, mostly to Immerse, but they also support other board-approved nonprofit organizations through a grant process. (Apply online at livethankfullylittlerock.com.) 

It takes a lot of organization, direction, determination and spunk to keep up with all the moving parts at Live Thankfully. Frankowski credits Cook’s relationship with God as the basis for her work ethic and compassion for people. “Kimberly’s never met a stranger and has the gift of making everyone feel welcome and seen. She serves the community, and in particular, young people and women in crisis, whether it’s those aging out of foster care, pregnant teens, or women coming out of prison and needing a few clothes, and all without judgement,” she said.

If this doesn’t light your fire, your wood might be wet.