Northwest Arkansas Childrens Shelter

Archives for May 2020

Greer Named Employee of the Quarter

Congratulations to Janet Greer – our Employee of the Quarter! Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Janet has volunteered to pick up extra shifts on top of her regular schedule to make sure that our kids are always well taken care of. Janet has shown amazing patience, especially with a few of our kids who need one-on-one […]

Taylor Joins Board of Directors

We are happy to announce the addition of Landon Taylor to our board of directors! Landon currently serves as Bank President, CCO and COO of First Western. Landon has served on the Finance Committee of the NWACS Board since January 2018 and his more than 22 years of experience in banking and lending have been […]

Bequette Promoted to Director

We are pleased to announce the promotion of Krystal Bequette to Director of Human Resources and Administration for the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter. This promotion recognizes the contributions Krystal has made to the Shelter since she started with us in October 2017. Throughout her time at the Shelter, she has never hesitated to step in […]

Sliker Joins Board of Directors

We are happy to welcome Jim Sliker to our board of directors! Jim currently serves as the CEO of Central States Mfg, Inc., a 100% employee-owned company and leader in the metal building components industry. As CEO, Jim has encouraged the organization to challenge the status quo and find new opportunities which has resulted in revenue […]

Dinkla Joins Board of Directors

We are happy to announce the addition of Jess Dinkla to our board of directors! Jess currently serves as a Sales Director for The Hershey Company. During his tenure with the company he has held a variety of leadership roles within the sales, strategy, operations, and marketing functions. Jess has had the good fortune of […]

Wesley

“I love it here. I don’t want to be anywhere else. This is the best place I’ve ever been.” The sentiment above was recently shared with me by a 14-year-old named Wesley. At first, I was thrilled to hear it. I was so glad that he felt safe and comfortable here at the Shelter. That […]

Read more about WesleyImpact stories

Meet Wesley

“I love it here. I don’t want to be anywhere else. This is the best place I’ve ever been.”

The sentiment above was recently shared with me by a 14-year-old named Wesley. At first, I was thrilled to hear it. I was so glad that he felt safe and comfortable here at the Shelter. That means that we’re doing our job well. That means that we’re fulfilling our mission.

Right?

But then, as what he said began to sink in, it actually made me very sad. Shouldn’t this young man want to be in a home? Shouldn’t he want to be part of a family? So, why, out of all the places he has been, does he want to be here?

His understanding of home and family is so much different than mine. A home, to him, means conflict and struggle.  It means constantly being hyper aware and ready to fight or flee at any moment. It means feeling alone and frightened, but never being able to show fear or weakness. It means growing up way too fast.

At the Shelter, Wesley is surrounded by people who care about him, 24 hours a day. He has a routine and knows what to expect from day to day. He never has to question whether he will have clean clothing or enough to eat. He knows that his education is important and that his teachers will do everything they can to keep him on track. He knows that we want him to have the best future possible.

I wish every child in Arkansas had a loving, supportive home. I wish we could close the doors of the Shelter forever. Unfortunately, there will always be children like Wesley. To him, the Shelter is more of a family than he has ever known. So, we will keep our doors open, and our arms open even wider, for the children who need us.

Rick Brazile,
Sr. Director of Finance
Interim Executive Director

This place has made me feel the most at home. What makes it so special is the staff. I have never met such caring and dedicated staff.

Katie, age 14

Thanks you NWACS, I now have a bright and successful future. I can’t say thank you enough and I will never forget the amazing people here.

Sammy, age 16

Thank you for never giving up on me when I was lost.

Rachel, age 17