You Did It!

We asked you, our NWA community, for help in May as we were faced with closing our doors in July.

YOU rallied behind us individually and as part of a grassroots movement to help us on our path to financial security.

Today, June 30, we MET AND EXCEEDED our funding goal of $150,000 – thanks to your generosity and support!

Today, the 35 people in our Shelter have a safe place where they can see a hope for a non-violent future this 4th of July weekend!

And while we celebrate you, our community, and this milestone today, we also are mindful we still have work ahead. The next hurdle is in front of us: the second $150,000 is needed by the end of October.

Your ongoing support and involvement are still very important. Please join us next week, Wednesday, July 6, for a press conference. Our Board and Shelter leadership will announce their decisions of the services we will provide to Benton County and to the Northwest Arkansas community moving forward.

Press Conference Details

Date: Wednesday, July 6

Time: 5:00 p.m.

Location: Two25 Gallery & Wine Bar, 225 S Main Street, Bentonville

 Eventbrite - SOS Campaign Update

 

 

(Above photo: John McGee, Executive Director, presents “Friend of NWAWS” certificate to Scott Cargile, President, Ozark Off Road Club)

 

A couple of months ago, on November 19, 110 off-road vehicles and over 300 people participated in the second annual Ozark Off Road Adventure rally organized by the Ozark Off Road Club.

OORC_1In addition to having a weekend of fun and networking, the Club also wants to give back to the community.

“The Ozark Off Road Club membership voted to support the Northwest Arkansas Women’s Shelter during a club meeting in early 2015. Our membership felt that the work NWAWS does is invaluable to our community and worthy of our club support.” – Larry Cole (Club director)

We are honored to be selected in 2015 as the organization Ozark Off Road Club voted to support. Through their woOzark Off Road Club_2rk, they presented a check to NWAWS that provides 40 days of emergency safe shelter for someone who is ready to break the cycle of abuse and violence and to pursue a peaceful, healthy life.

For more information on the Ozark Off Road Club, visit http://www.ozarkoffroadclub.org/.

To learn more about other events that are being planned, visit our Current Community Activities page.

If you are affiliated with an organization considering ways to support NWAWS and its mission, you may learn about how we can partner together by going to our Third-Party Fundraising page.

 

Almost 1/2 of the residents living in the Northwest Arkansas Women’s Shelter are children.

And almost 1/2 of the children are in the age range of Birth to 4.Child-Graphic_2015

Children who live in our Shelter face the childhood trauma of fleeing a violent home environment.

According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, children who are exposed to domestic violence tend to perform poorly in school. They have more difficulty concentrating and completing their work in school. They also have lower scores than their peers in areas of motor, social, and verbal skills.[1]

We have a child advocate who focuses on helping the children in our shelter process the trauma and chaos to which they are exposed. She works not only with the children and their parents while they reside in the shelter, but she also organizes a child support group that meets when our adult support group meets.

We are committed to helping our children and our families strengthen their family interactions and adopt healthier emotional responses.

And there are many in our community who are also committed to helping us by investing in our children.

Ways our community has given to our smallest victims in 2015

  • Prepared them for school — in style and with confidence

IN Marketing Services wanted to help our kids succeed in school. They bought every kid in shelter and our outreach kids a brand new backpack filled with school supplies, as well as provided new outfits and shoes for each kid to go back to school with confidence and style.

  • Got them swimming

The Jones CeChild_1nter in Springdale provided free swimming for our kids.

  • Threw them a birthday party

The Birthday Blessings group threw parties for each kid that celebrates their special day with us.  The provide pizza, drinks, cake and ice cream for every resident. They shower the birthday child with attention and gifts and bring an air of joy and excitement to all who attend through feats of juggling, party games and a prize box.

  • Sent them to Fast Lanes

Fast Lanes Entertainment donated 50 free passes to our kids this summer. The kids were able to go bowling, play laser tag and drive go-carts for free–and enjoy being a kid.

  • Sent them down water slides

The team at the Rogers Aquatic Center asked their season pass holders to donate any passes that would go unused at the end of the summer.  Several of our kids got to go somewhere they’d never been before because of the generosity of our community.

  • Connected them with the wild

Gentry Safari donated a day of visiting to a van full of kids this summer.

  • Threw a great HallowChild3een Party!

Embassy Suites in Rogers hosted Trick or Suite to provide a safe environment for our kids and others in the community to trick or treat.  Before the big event, they also provided our clients with costumes in all sizes and with lots of props and make-up.

  • Gave them a great Christmas Season

Individuals, groups and teams sponsored our clients and their families for Christmas. Each child and adult who received our services was eligible to participate.

  • Got a personal visit from Santa!

The NWA Coupon Club made arrangements for Santa to visit the kids in shelter and brought gifts and stockings. Santa even brought gifts for all the adults, as well!

  • Gave an inside tour of a corporate jet

This past summer the team at Walmart Aviation invited the kids to come out to their facilities and take a tour. We got to sit in a corporate jet while a real pilot talked to us about flying.

  • Provided them with fun activities

A Layout Team at Walmart organized an Easter egg hunt and provided a pizza picnic afterwards for our in-shelter and outreach clients.

A Mary Kay team celebrated the holidays with our families by providing a meal. They then allowed the kids to pick out a special Mary Kay gift for their moms and assisted in wrapping them.

  • Gave them food

Summer time is hard on most families as kids are home for 3 meals a day. Rogers Public Schools delivered a healthy breakfast and lunch for EVERY kid residing in-shelter during the week.  Andy’s Frozen Custard donated boxes of frozen treats. The food pantry at St. Vincent de Paul kept us stocked in fresh fruit and vegetables for years—and earlier this year, our new partnership with the NWA Food Bank provided more fresh meat than we’ve ever seen here!

Child2

 

Did you know summer months are our peak months for children living in the Shelter?

If you or a team would like to provide access to special activities or would like to donate to cover the costs for transportation or admittance to special activities, please contact us (479-246-0353, info@nwaws.org).

It’s time to begin planning for the summer!

Thank you to all of our community partners — individuals, groups, teams — for caring about the children

and for investing your time and money to help the smallest of the victims we serve!

[1] See http://www.nctsn.org/content/children-and-domestic-violence.

 

Fresh StART was an elegant evening at The Grand at 117, combining the jazz music of Claudia Burson Trio, wine, and art. Honorary co-chairs for the event were Don Frieson, EVP Operations, Sam’s Club, and Debra Layton, SVP Merchandising, Walmart Stores, Inc.

Thomas Arvid

For his second year, Thomas Arvid was the feature artist. His works portray the wine experience and the art of living graciously. Visit www.thomasarvid.com to learn more about Arvid and his works.

In addition to works donated from 32 local artists and artists, artwork from residents and outreach clients of the Northwest Arkansas Women’s Shelter was showcased. Fresh StART perfectly aligns with the mission and programs of the NWA Women’s Shelter as adult and child advocates incorporate art as a therapeutic process to help clients connect with the emotions of the abuse they have experienced.

Fresh StART generated $50,000 in net revenue to enable the NWA Women’s Shelter to continue empowering families to live free of violence!

For a viewing of the photo gallery, click here to view Fresh StART photos.

 

Special thanks to our sponsors:

sponsors-mars-incsponsors-3w-magazineWalmart-Sams logoCollective Bias logo

 

Additional sponsors included:

Catapult Marketing

Kimberly Clark

Simmons Foods

 

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A lemonade stand during BFF    High School Clubs    Mystery bartenders  •  Mustang car show

Baby Product Drive    A golf tournament    Wine and hors d’oeuvres with friends and neighbors    Movie theatre  •  Birthday Parties

Casual day at work    Trick or Suite    Toy drive    Scary-Oke  •  Off-road vehicle weekend

What is the common thread of all of these?

They are all third-party fundraisers or drives. 

Caring, creative members of our NWA community organized events or drives to raise additional funds or to ask for donations of products or other goods for the Shelter or for our Thrift Store (which provides $1 out of $4 in gross revenue for our services). 

In 2015, friends of the Shelter generated over $20,000 in new revenue by organizing events or drives on their own, with limited involvement (or no involvement) of Shelter staff, with proceeds benefiting the Northwest Arkansas Women’s Shelter.

Creative ideas and opportunities are endless.

If you, your team at work, a professional association or civic group, or your friends and family want to help victims of domestic violence break the cycle of abuse but you don’t know where to start, think about organizing a fundraising event or drive. 

If you want to know when and where events or drives are taking place, go to our Current Community Activities page.

To get started with a Third-Party fundraising event or drive, go to our webpage to learn more: Third-Party Fundraisers.  

Highlights of Third-Party Fundraisers in 2015:

 

 

Sketch of womanSamantha’s Story*

     *The survivor’s name has been changed to protect her identity.

Samantha was emotionally, financially, and physically abused by her boyfriend with whom she had lived several years. After her first stay in the Shelter, she remained separated from her abuser but remained in contact with him as they had children. In one incident that occurred during one of their regular visitations, her abuser became angry and physically assaulted Samantha: punching her, choking her to the point she couldn’t breathe, breaking her phone, throwing keys away, and threatening to hurt her and the children if she tried to leave.

Samantha’s abuser kept her confined, and she could not leave to seek medical help. He initiated filing a report to the police, changing the truth of the story. He reported that Samantha was physically assaulted by one of her ex- boyfriends and that he had tried to help her. Samantha had a sense of hopelessness when that story became the official police report.

After several meetings with advocates at the shelter, Samantha decided to file an order of protection. With the assistance of the NWA Women’s Shelter court advocate and other professional advocates, she compiled all police reports from the past to document the abuse history.

During the process, Samantha hesitated many times as she felt the effort was worthless. “He will get his way because he always does.” Our advocates encouraged Samantha to work through her hesitation each time. She cooperated with police to correct the report and filed the order of protection. The ex parte order (an initial temporary order) was granted, and Samantha received legal representation after her case was accepted by Legal Aid of Arkansas, one of our partner agencies, for the full hearing. At this hearing, the Court granted Samantha a 10-year order of protection for herself and her children.

Samantha’s life and her view of the law enforcement and legal system changed. Her abuser didn’t get his way this time.

Today, Samantha and her children live peacefully in a safe place. We hope it will remain that way!!

 


Each time a situation like Samantha’s arises, the NWA Women’s Shelter court advocate and other professional advocates will provide the same consistent and compassionate support.

As part of our court advocacy work, we assist clients (in-shelter and outreach) with understanding their option to petition for protection and the process for orders of protection. Individuals whose primary language is Spanish receive translation support from our bilingual staff.

In 2015, through court advocacy, 67 clients petitioned orders of protection.

Additional court advocacy efforts include contacts with clients during the process of completing and filing orders, prior to full hearings, and following court hearings. In 2015, a total of 299 contacts were made to 217 clients (including the clients who formally filed petitions during the year).

Among our long-term partnerships are Legal Aid of Arkansas and the Benton County Courthouse.

We expanded strategic partnerships in 2015.

  • Walmart’s Legal Team is providing pro bono legal work for our clients.
  • We also strengthened our existing partnership with the Benton County Courthouse. All orders of protection filed with the Benton County Courthouse that do not involve current or ongoing police involvement in the case are referred to the NWA Women’s Shelter court advocate to process. This allows the court advocate an opportunity to provide resources and education, such as safety planning and referrals to other community services.

 

 

Grant funding helps cover our costs for salaries of professional advocates, for supporting the costs to provide a safe haven, for outreach/educational initiatives, and for new direct-client programs.

Often, we see surprised expressions when we tell people that less than 15% of our funding comes from governmental sources (federal, state, local). We do receive some funds from the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) and from the Domestic Peace Fund. These are directed to pay salaries, or a portion of salaries, of our professional staff who work directly with our clients and with our community outreach effort.

We are also United Way partners. Because of their support — and the support they receive from our community — we can bridge emergency needs for safe shelter with empowering families to move beyond a life of violence and instability toward a path of safety, stability, and peace. If you donate to United Way, thank you!

United Way

We wish to say “thank you” to the following grantors:

  • AutoZone — for safety and emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence
  • Bikes, Blues, and BBQ – for enhancing our community educational outreach opportunities (*new grantor in 2o15)
  • Carl and Alleen McKinney Charitable Trust – for safety and emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence in Benton County
  • Cox Charities — for safety and emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence (*new grantor in 2o15)
  • Ronald McDonald House Charities of Arkoma – for a new educational program, “Healthy Meals – Healthier Children” to education families on healthy food choice options and to provide healthier food choices for children residing in-shelter
  • Verizon HopeLine Grant – for strengthening our outreach client program by providing educational resources
  • Walmart Community Grants – over 36 Walmart facilities, departments and division directed community grants to provide safety and emergency shelter

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