Northwest Arkansas Childrens Shelter

Beer & Carols

5:00—7:30 pmDecember 8, 2024

Beer & Carols presented by the Mahoney Family Foundation is our signature winter event: a holiday singalong like no other!

All of your favorite Christmas Carols and holiday hits will be led by the Beer & Hymns Band, joined by guest horn and string players from around NWA. We’ll eat, drink, sing, and be merry while we support the work of the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter. All ages are welcome. Wear an ugly sweater or tacky holiday outfit for a chance to win prizes! (Group Prize and Individual Prize to be awarded).

WHAT TO EXPECT

4:45 – Doors open with drinks and jazz by the Matt Nelson Combo.

5:15 – Welcome from Beer & Hymns and our title sponsor

5:20 – The singalong begins! We’ll learn about the amazing work of the NWA Children’s Shelter, we’ll sing and dance our hearts out, we’ll laugh as we pick the most festive costumes of the night, we’ll take pictures with Santa, and we’ll raise life-changing funds in support of our December charity.

7:45 – Raise your glass and raise your voices as we wrap up the night.

FOOD AND DRINK
Hors d’oeuvres and 1 drink ticket are included with the price of admission. Cash bar is available all night.

CHARITY
Our charity for the month of December is the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter. They provide hope, every day, to the most vulnerable children in our community. Your ticket price and 100% of donations go directly to the shelter.

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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 by a 14-year-old named Wesley*. At first, we were thrilled to hear it. We were so glad that he felt safe and comfortable here at the Shelter. That means 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 by a 14-year-old named Wesley*. At first, we were thrilled to hear it. We were 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 us 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 ours. 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.

We wish every child in Arkansas had a loving, supportive home. We 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.

*name and image changed to protect privacy

I tried a cupcake for the first time.

Kylee, age 6

I like it here.

Jordyn, age 7

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

Rachel, age 17