Jacob arrived at the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter one rainy night along with his five brothers and sisters. He was malnourished and small for his age. His older sisters were protective and unsure about trusting the Shelter staff with his care. They had all just been rescued from an unimaginable situation and didn’t know what to expect.As the days went by, the siblings began to relax and understand that they were safe at the Shelter. They learned to trust the staff and eventually shared their story. The truth was that Jacob had been locked in a closet for 23 hours a day – let out only to eat one daily meal.
When his parents were especially frustrated with him, they would beat him. He had never attended school and was years behind socially and developmentally.The oldest girls were forced into a sexual trafficking scheme organized by their parents. They knew that if they left home, the same treatment was inevitable for their younger siblings, so they stayed to protect them. This went on for years. However, as the abuse targeted toward Jacob escalated, the girls became terrified. They were convinced that their parents would eventually kill him.They knew they had to find a way out.They wrote a letter describing the horrors that were happening in their home and left it behind in a public place – just hoping the right person would find it and report it. Thankfully, the letter ended up in the right hands and a call was made to the child abuse hotline. That call resulted in all six of the children being removed from the abusive home and arriving at the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter.
Throughout his first weeks at the Shelter, Jacob’s top priority was food. He was so excited at meal time that he would sing the daily menu! Having ready access to food was a new experience for him.
When his parents were especially frustrated with him, they would beat him. He had never attended school and was years behind socially and developmentally.The oldest girls were forced into a sexual trafficking scheme organized by their parents. They knew that if they left home, the same treatment was inevitable for their younger siblings, so they stayed to protect them. This went on for years. However, as the abuse targeted toward Jacob escalated, the girls became terrified. They were convinced that their parents would eventually kill him.They knew they had to find a way out.They wrote a letter describing the horrors that were happening in their home and left it behind in a public place – just hoping the right person would find it and report it. Thankfully, the letter ended up in the right hands and a call was made to the child abuse hotline. That call resulted in all six of the children being removed from the abusive home and arriving at the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter.
Throughout his first weeks at the Shelter, Jacob’s top priority was food. He was so excited at meal time that he would sing the daily menu! Having ready access to food was a new experience for him.
Despite all of the trauma in his past, Jacob had the sweetest heart and a smile for everyone he met. He loved giving high-fives, fist bumps and hugs. He was constantly searching for connections with the Shelter staff and the other children. He was everyone’s biggest cheerleader and quickly won the hearts of all the volunteers and visitors.
Due to his medical issues and developmental delays, Jacob was with us for several months. During his stay, he received individualized case management, counseling, medical and dental care and trauma-centered education – helping him overcome years of neglect. During his time at the Shelter, Jacob almost completely overcame his food insecurities, anxiety, depression and malnutrition.
Jacob now loves to ride his bike, go fishing and play sports with friends. In addition, due to the care that Jacob received at the Shelter, his older siblings could take time to focus on themselves and their healing, which gave them all time to just be kids again!