Northwest Arkansas Childrens Shelter

Cameron

Along with meeting each child’s immediate needs of shelter, food and clothing, the case managers at NWACS ensure that all medical, dental, vision and hearing needs are addressed. Cameron* has had trouble with his hearing for his entire life. No one, in 16 years, took the time to listen and understand how significant the hearing loss was and how it was affecting him socially and academically – until he arrived at the Shelter. His case manager organized a plan for treatment, worked closely with a local ENT and arranged to get him the hearing aids he so desperately needed.

On the day he received his hearing aids, a whole new world opened up for Cameron. On his way back to the Shelter, he was amazed by what he could hear: “I can hear the car blinker. I can hear the birds. I can hear my heartbeat!”

*name and image changed to protect the privacy of the youth in our care

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!

*name and image changed to protect privacy

I learned that love is better than hate.

Tonya, age 17

The Shelter is a great place with warm hearts, open minds and lots of care.

Angela, age 14

My new bed makes me happy. And I am clean and have a new shirt.

Henry, age 4