Northwest Arkansas Childrens Shelter

Our Team

Our Team

Leadership Team

Rebekah Mitchell

Executive Director

Krystal Bequette

Director of Human Resources and Administration

479-795-2417 ext 306

Administrative Team

JJ Thompson

Kitchen Aide

John Craig

Maintenance

Linda Fulps

Office Coordinator

479-795-2417 ext 300

Will and Waltina Hanna

Individual Volunteer Coordinators

479-795-2417 ext 312

Joseph Gammon

Assistant Chef

Education Team

Anaiya Daniels

Elementary Teacher

Wade Wofford

High School Teacher

Youth Care Team

Gina Andrew

Youth Care Specialist

Lucero Martinez-Salas

Shift Supervisor

Allison Serrano

Youth Care Specialist

Lexie Huynh

Youth Care Specialist

Garrett Donnell

Youth Care Specialist

Mik Morgan

Shift Supervisor

Gaby Ayala

Shift Supervisor

Angela Bishop

Youth Care Specialist

Larry Twaddle

Youth Care Specialist

Mandi Maclean

Youth Care Specialist

Sabrina Dwire

Youth Care Specialist

Katherine Robles

Youth Care Specialist

Corina Ward

Shift Supervisor

Kaci Edwards

Youth Care Specialist

Fabiola Hernandez

Youth Care Specialist

Mallory Deets

Lead Supervisor

Akeem Coleman

Shift Supervisor

Lawrence Nguyen

Youth Care Specialist

Grace Anne Odom

Youth Care Specialist

Leah Cochran

Youth Care Specialist

Veronica Porto-Juarez

Shift Supervisor

Micah Wood

Shift Supervisor

Cathy Lowry

Youth Care Specialist

Jackie Redfearn

Youth Care Specialist

Jared Hines

Youth Care Specialist

Jessica Minez

Youth Care Specialist

Jill Young

Youth Care Specialist

Katie Smith

Youth Care Specialist

Lisa Covert

Youth Care Specialist

Lisa New

Youth Care Specialist

Nakisha Snell

Youth Care Specialist

Sidney Graham

Shift Supervisor

Teresa Bingham

Youth Care Specialist

Karen Heath

Transporter

The Shelter Shop Team

Robert Bray

Store Associate

Shelley Turner

Store Associate

Geneva Jones

Store Associate

Tom Blackwood

Manager

Becky Johnson

Store Associate

Abby

Let me tell you Abby’s story. It was one of the worst cases of neglect the police officer had ever seen. The children were covered in grime, clearly malnourished and sleeping on filthy pallets on the floor. The house had no running water and roaches infested the kitchen. There were visible scratches, bruises and burns […]

Read more about AbbyImpact stories

Meet Abby

Let me tell you Abby’s story.

It was one of the worst cases of neglect the police officer had ever seen. The children were covered in grime, clearly malnourished and sleeping on filthy pallets on the floor. The house had no running water and roaches infested the kitchen. There were visible scratches, bruises and burns on the children’s bodies. This wasn’t the first time their caregiver had been arrested.

After the children were removed from the home, they arrived at the doors of the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter. They were scared, tired and hungry. We welcomed them with open arms. The Shelter team immediately sprang into action by serving the children a hot meal, giving each child a bath, providing them with clean clothing and beginning treatment for rashes, burns and lice. Abby was the oldest child living in the home — a young girl of less than seven years. Confused and extremely angry, she lashed out at the Shelter team because she had never trusted an adult in her life. She didn’t know how to react when we tried to care for her. She had been deprived of the love and affection of a family.

With patience and guidance from the Shelter team, Abby learned how to better handle her anger and frustration. She learned how to use kind words and how to depend on the adults around her to meet her needs. Most importantly, she learned that, for the first time in her life, she had people who truly cared for her.

Now, Abby has discovered the joys of childhood.

She loves stuffed animals. She loves talking about kittens. She loves drawing pictures for her teacher. On a recent visit to Chick-fil-A, she was so excited about eating in a “real” restaurant and even more excited about joining the other children in the play area. In our care, Abby learned how to laugh and have fun. Her laugh is so infectious, it can turn a bad day into a great one!

Abby is just one of the more than 10,000 children in Arkansas who experienced abuse or neglect last year. For the past 5 years, Washington County has ranked #2 and Benton County #3 for substantiated cases of child abuse. Yes, child abuse is very real and, yes, it is happening in OUR community.

The Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter serves as the first point of refuge for children from throughout Arkansas who have suffered the trauma of abuse or neglect. Here, they are safe, loved and given the opportunity to just be kids again.

We need your help to combat the effects of abuse and neglect on our kids. Your gift to the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter not only provides a warm bed and three meals per day, but also the opportunity for children like Abby to begin the process of healing. Help our children to know that they are loved with your gift.

See our needs list or donate today!

The best thing that I love about the Shelter is the acceptance. No matter where any of us came from, we are accepted here.

Melanie, age 15

The Shelter is a perfect placement for all ages. It’s a safe place where all of my needs were met so I could spend more time on things I needed to work on – like graduating! The Shelter helped me so much!

Danielle, age 16

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

Rachel, age 17