Northwest Arkansas Children's Shelter Celebrates 20 Years

STAFF PHOTO FLIP PUTTHOFF Jackie and Will Keller, from left, tour the Northwest Arkansas Children's Shelter on Tuesday with their granddaughter, Kalyna Keller, a shelter employee. A ceremony marking the 20th anniversary and was held in the gym and recognized founders, administrators, staff and former shelter residents.
STAFF PHOTO FLIP PUTTHOFF Jackie and Will Keller, from left, tour the Northwest Arkansas Children's Shelter on Tuesday with their granddaughter, Kalyna Keller, a shelter employee. A ceremony marking the 20th anniversary and was held in the gym and recognized founders, administrators, staff and former shelter residents.

— It's staggering to think what a simple question can lead to if asked by passionate people with proper support and a progressive outlook, Jeffrey Harsh said Tuesday.

In 1991, the late Judge Terry Crabtree asked, with other community leaders, "Can we create a safe haven for abused and neglected children and give them hope for a brighter future?" said Harsh, Northwest Arkansas Children's Shelter vice president. "The community said, 'Absolutely, yes we can.'"

Fast Facts

Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter

• The shelter opened Dec. 6, 1993, with five residents

• It accepts girls up to age 17 and boys up to age 12

• It can care for up to 48 children a day

• Children can stay there for up to 45 days

• It serves more than 73,000 meals and snacks annually

• Its staff takes children to 1,100 medical and dental visits annually

• Its children go on more than 300 outings annually

• State funding covers about 25 percent of its costs

Source: Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter

Within three years, a board was created, money was raised, property was purchased and a building was remodeled. The Northwest Arkansas Children's Shelter opened its doors Dec. 6, 1993, six miles west of Bentonville on Arkansas 12. Five girls were the first residents, Harsh said.

Shelter officials, staff and community members gathered to celebrate the shelter's 20th anniversary Tuesday.

The celebration initially was scheduled for Dec. 5, but was rescheduled because of winter weather. Officials decided to hold it Tuesday in conjunction with April being National Child Abuse Prevention Month, said Steve Schotta, executive director.

A couple hundred people attended the birthday party. The community's presence shows it still supports the shelter's mission of giving abused and neglected children a "safe place to heal and discover hope for a better future," Schotta said.

"We couldn't do what we do without the support of the community, a very dedicated board of directors and, of course, the staff that makes the difference in the kids' lives," he said.

Harsh recapped the shelter's history. Five years after it began operations, a kindergarten through 12th-grade school was added. It's the only shelter in Arkansas to provide school on-site, he said.

Talks of expansion began in 2000. The shelter received a $13.5 million grant from the Reynolds Foundation for a new building that opened at 14100 Vaughn Road in 2011, Harsh said.

The shelter increased from 32 to 48 beds with the move. The budget has increased from $150,000 when the shelter opened to its current $3.4 million, according to Harsh. More than 7,000 children have been served in 20 years.

"These amazing accomplishments wouldn't have happened had it not been for the caring and compassionate community that came together to care for these kids in crisis," Harsh said.

Jane Oliver was the shelter's first executive director. She recalled lessons staff learned in the early years. She told of when staff took two of the first residents to the movies and let them go to the bathroom alone. They didn't return, Oliver said.

There was another time when two residents went missing and were later found at a church potluck, she said, joking the food must have been better than what the shelter offered.

There were times of tears and times of laughter, Oliver said.

Bringing the past to the present, Oliver commented: "There are still kids in crisis, there's still dedicated staff, there's still money worries, there is still a caring community, and it's all true 20 years later. But the main thing that has carried over is the hope and the care and the love that is given to these children."

It was at the shelter where Megan Anthony, a former resident, found hope.

Anthony's life was on a downward path before she was born, she told the audience. Anthony told her story of being born to a 16-year-old mother and never knowing her father. Her mom remarried only to get divorced and then fall into a deep depression, Anthony said.

She and her half brother were shuffled between foster homes, which never felt like a home. Anthony said she knew the children's shelter was going to be different as soon as she walked through its doors.

"It was the first time since entering the foster care system that I felt safe," she said, pausing to regain composure. "It was the first time that I felt I didn't have to be on my guard. I didn't have to worry about being an adult at (age) 13."

The shelter accepts girls up to age 17 and boys up to age 12. Children can stay for 48 days.

Anthony remembers crying when she had to leave, not wanting to be shuffled around in foster homes again. She moved to a home in Huntsville where she remained for the rest of her time in foster care.

She became active in clubs in high school and was the president of her senior class. She graduated from the University of Arkansas and is pursuing two careers. She's a manager with Walmart's logistics team and is an officer in the Arkansas National Guard.

"I owe my success in part to the time I had at the children's shelter for providing a place where I could heal and for shining a light on how much better my future could be," she said. "I am one of 7,200 children that you have shown the guiding light of hope. You have changed my life for the better, thank you."

Attendees also were able to tour the shelter. Janet Smith inquired about how she could volunteer as she and her husband left the building.

Smith said she volunteered at the former building and came to Tuesday's celebration to see the current facility. She said it was professional and comfortable.

"I was impressed with how loving they were with all the children," she said of when she volunteered.

NW News on 04/02/2014

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