Northwest Arkansas Childrens Shelter

Third-party event

Sorry, no content matched your criteria.

Demonte

Recently, we had an intelligent, hard-working young man in our care. His name was Demonte* and he was 15 years old. One day, he got upset in class and took off out of the building like he was planning to run away. This is not an uncommon reaction from the children in our care. Many […]

Read more about DemonteImpact stories

Meet Demonte

Recently, we had an intelligent, hard-working young man in our care. His name was Demonte* and he was 15 years old. One day, he got upset in class and took off out of the building like he was planning to run away. This is not an uncommon reaction from the children in our care. Many have been taught that their only two options, when circumstances are beyond their control, are fight or flight. This time, Demonte chose flight.
Lisa, one of our amazing Youth Care Specialists, followed after him and was calling out his name to stop him from walking away. Finally, he did stop and Lisa was able to convince him to return. Later that afternoon, when he was talking through what had happened, he said, “When I heard Mrs. Lisa saying my name, it made me realize that no one in my family or in my life would ever have cared if I ran away. The only reason I stopped is because I knew Mrs. Lisa must care about me because she came after me.”
This is just one story, among hundreds each year, that shows how much our youth care staff impact the children in our care – every day. It is an honor to be here for these kids when they need us the most.
*name and image changed to protect privacy

The world’s not perfect, but people are there to help you. The Shelter was a good environment and people wanted the best for me, and it made me want to love myself more. If I had not gone to the Shelter, I don’t think I’d be in school and I would probably still be in a home when I’m the adult when I shouldn’t have to be.

Lauren, age 16

While at the Shelter, I went from an 8th grade math level to almost a 12th grade level. I’m pretty proud of that.

Tasha, age 17

The Shelter felt like a family to me – always helping me when I needed it and making me feel at ease. I might be leaving, but a part of me is staying.

Chelle, age 16