Monthly donation

Donor Highlight: Michelle Dearing, Co-Founder, Midtown Associates at NWA Realty Group

Michelle’s Story:

I unexpectedly found myself in a position of being a single mother with two young children (ages 1 and 7, at the time). I had an education to help me provide for my family. I had friends and family who helped encourage and support me as I faced new challenges as a single, working mom. It was still hard for me, as it is for a lot of single, working mothers. I had to work hard and be strong to provide the best home for my children.

My heart goes out to those mothers who are living in abusive and unsafe homes and who are facing the decision to leave or to stay. Many may not have the resources or the education I had to fall back on to provide for their families. Their decisions to leave to find safety for themselves and their children require an extraordinary amount of strength and courage.

I want these mothers to know that mothers like me admire their courage. For three years now, I have supported the Northwest Arkansas Women’s Shelter each month because I want to help give mothers who make that decision to leave their abusers the best opportunity to survive and thrive. For almost 29 years, the Northwest Arkansas Women’s Shelter has provided emergency safe shelter for mothers who make the best, but very difficult, decision to leave abusive and violent homes, not knowing what their future holds. Their stay at the NWA Women’s Shelter may literally save their lives and their children’s lives, while also giving a new beginning to a life that restores hope and ends the cycle of abuse and violence.

Michelle Dearing served on the Board of Directors for the Northwest Arkansas Women’s Shelter from 2014 – 2015. Michelle was also the Treasurer during her time on the Board.

Thank you, Michelle, for your tireless efforts advocating for mothers in Northwest Arkansas who make the decision to live without the fear of violence in their lives!

You can join Michelle in supporting the mothers and children seeking refuge at NWAWS by making a one-time donation or signing up as a sustaining donor to make a recurring gift. Click below or call for more details.
Donate online or call Terri Post: (479) 246-0353 ext. 108

The Northwest Arkansas Women’s Shelter (NWAWS) is facing a serious and potentially devastating financial crisis. Over the last 14 months, a completely new leadership team has looked into all facets of the organization’s operations.

During this same time, new members of the Board began their own review. Despite many coming into the review with a pre-conceived idea that cutting expenses was the solution, both groups concluded that NWAWS is facing a revenue problem—one it has been facing for years. Simply put, our expenses—which increased to meet growing demand for services—outstripped our ability to generate revenue.

There are many reasons for this shortfall. Most are results of decisions and actions or inaction that cannot be changed. One could look at early decisions and say we should have never done x or y, but we did. Looking at the circumstances surrounding those decisions, one can only conclude that the decision makers acted in the best interest of the organization with the information available to them at the time.

Well-intentioned decisions do not always produce well-intentioned results.

The cumulative consequences of those decisions is that we are now strapped for cash, poor in assets, and yet continually receiving requests for service. The unfortunate reality is that the demand for our services has never been so great. However, neither have resources needed to support those services been in such short supply.

Frankly, this means without a significant cash infusion, shelter operations will cease in July 2016. For the first time in nearly thirty years, Benton County will be without an organization specifically designed to address the needs of victims of domestic abuse and their children. Hundreds of moms or dads and their children will not have access to safe shelter. Thousands of individuals will not receive help through our crisis hotline. Untold thousands will not be exposed to messages about safe dating, healthy relationships, and how to recognize the ‘red flags’ of abusive relationships.

This does not have to be our fate. Over the past year we have analyzed our challenges, developed a comprehensive three-year development plan, revitalized our advocacy program with an emphasis on providing services in the community, and identified two additional areas requiring further study: our facility needs and our brand. While changes in these two areas might be forthcoming, they will not occur quickly because our clients and the community can ill-afford for us to make more hasty decisions. Our clients rely on our services to reach their potential, and we cannot reach ours without the community’s support.

What can you do to help?

You can become a donor – a one-time or a sustaining donor (Builder of Hope) – by clicking here and making a contribution. You may also write a check and mail it to us at P.O. Box 1059, Rogers, AR 72757.

If you are interested in making a significant donation to the shelter and its future, we would be delighted to meet with you and whomever else you would like to include in those discussions.

You can become our ambassador by encouraging organizations to invite us to share about the dynamics and pervasiveness of domestic abuse/violence and how we can all make a difference in changing lives. You can introduce us to other individuals, organizations, businesses, and community or faith groups that might want to know about or get involved with us and learn how we provide services to victims, their children, and the community.

You can donate to and shop at the Northwest Arkansas Women’s Shelter Thrift Store located at 1622 S 8th St in Rogers (in the Southgate Shopping Center). Sales from the thrift store generate about 20% of the gross revenue needed to sustain organizational operations. Plus clients always get to shop for items they may need at no cost to their family.

You can follow us on social media, share our content, and encourage others in your network to do the same.

What we need is prompt action and then long-term sustaining support and involvement.

What will you do to take action and join us?

NWAWS received a lot of support from the NWA faith community in 2015.

In fact, we received over $22,000 in financial support and in-kind contributions from 36 different faith groups last year!

Faith-based organizations supported NWAWS in a variety of ways, including:

cash contributions promoting donation drives regular item giving (e.g. weekly purchases of cleaning supplies) special offerings bingo nights alternative gift markets shelter room renovations

The opportunities really are endless for our faith community to get involved with us. We are so grateful for all of the support that we received in 2015 and are looking forward to a new year and forming new partnerships in 2016.

Thank you to the faith-based organizations who generously supported us last year:

Bella Vista Assembly of God

Bella Vista Community Church

Bella Vista Lutheran Church

Brightwater Memorial United Methodist Church

Catalyst Church NWA

Christian Women’s Job Corps

Decatur United Methodist Church

First Assembly of God

First United Methodist Church, Bella Vista

First United Methodist Church-Good Shepherds

First United Methodist Church Mission Team

Highland Christian Church Disciples Women

Highland Christian Church Renaissance Class

Highlands United Methodist Men – “Hummers”

Highlands United Methodist Women

Keypointe Church

Landmark Baptist Church

Living Word Lutheran Church

Mosaic at Fellowship Bible Church

New Hope Assembly Church

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church Ladies Sunday School Class & Youth

Presbyterian Women of Bella Vista

Southside Church of Christ

St. Bernard Men’s Club & Knights of Columbus

St. Bernard Women’s Club

St. Joseph’s Catholic Church

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

St. Theodore’s Episcopal Church

St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School

The Ridge Community Church

United Lutheran Church of Bella Vista

United Lutheran Church Men’s Club

United Lutheran Church Women

United Methodist Church Men

United Methodist Church Women

Women at Peace – Peace Lutheran Church

Are you interested in getting your faith community involved in serving NWAWS? Please send us an email: info@nwaws.org. We look forward to connecting with you!

Builders of Hope is a new giving program to recognize compassionate and dedicated donors who donate monthly . . .

. . . because they want to see individuals transformed from being victims of abuse and violence to survivors who lead violence-free lives;

. . . because they want to see children given new skills for conflict resolution that do not include violence;

. . . because they believe in providing HOPE to break the cycle of abuse now and for future generations, one person and one family at a time.

“[Because of the Northwest Arkansas Women’s Shelter], I can keep my baby alive and prevent my other children from seeing violence. I can breathe and not walk on eggshells. I have a chance to turn things around. I can break a cycle by recognizing red flags and by having a safety plan. For some of us, it [the Northwest Arkansas Women’s Shelter] is our only hope.”

Every dollar received each month is an investment toward giving HOPE to shelter residents and to outreach clients who desire peaceful homes and healthy relationships.

When 250 donors contribute $50 each month,

residents fleeing violence are given a safe place to reside temporarily and a HOPE for a rebuilt life while they chart their actions plans to separate from their abusers, as donors at this level are together covering the cost of the monthly lease.

When 144 donors contribute $25 each month,

clients have access to a professional staff that provides a supportive environment, access to resources, and accountability as clients learn how to move beyond abusive relationships with a HOPE of future relationships defined by healthy boundaries, as donors at this level are together covering the cost of payroll taxes.

When 60 donors contribute $10 each month,

residents have a confident HOPE they are safe, as donors at this level are together covering the cost of the security system.

When 34 donors contribute $5 each month,

clients are ensured transportation to and from court hearings where their HOPE for continued protection is petitioned before a judge, as donors at this level are together covering the cost for gasoline and maintenance of both Shelter vehicles.

to all of our monthly donors,

the Builders of Hope!

Will you consider becoming a monthly donor because you believe in giving hope to victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault?

Join today as a recurring donor, a Builder of Hope!