In May 2016, the Northwest Arkansas Women's Shelter announced to the public that it was experiencing a budget shortfall that, if not remedied, could close its doors for good.
What a difference a year makes. The doors have stayed open, and the nearly 30-year-old organization has continued to serve Northwest Arkansas, something for which the Shelter's development director, Merritt Royal, wants to thank the Northwest Arkansas community.
How to get involved
Northwest Arkansas Women’s Shelter
Volunteer — The shelter relies on volunters to help with day-to-day operations as well as special projects. Call (479) 246-0353 for more information.
Donate/shop — The Women’s Shelter Thrift store is located at 1622 S. Eighth St. in Rogers and offers furniture, appliances, household goods and clothing and shoes at thrifty prices. Gently used items can be donated at the store from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each open day. Call (479) 621-6116 for more information.
Contribute — The Shelter only receives 17 percent of its total funding from state and federal goverment sources; $60,000 per month must be raised via community funding to keep the doors open. No monetary donation is too small — every bit counts. Call (479) 621-6116 for more information.
"We held a public forum and asked the public to step in and support us, or we would face having to close the shelter," says Royal. "That announcement really began an epic effort by the board of directors and the leadership of the shelter to ensure that we were able to stabilize our financial situation so that we could continue providing services well into the future."
"We were in immediate need of about $150,000 by June 30 [2016] in order to continue our services," explains Amber Lacewell, director of community education and outreach. She says the response from the community was immediate and overwhelming. "We were able to raise $105,000 by June 30, and Jane Hunt Meade came in with a donation of $45,000 to get us to $150,000. We said at the meeting that we needed an additional $150,000 to make sure we were sustainable by the end of the year. So after her donation in June, Jane offered a challenge of $50,000 if we were able to raise $100,000 -- which we did."
The Shelter currently receives a small amount of government funding, and the thrift store it operates at 1622 S. Eighth St. in Rogers also contributes revenue. Community donations, however, are critical to the organization.
"Our annual budget is $1.2 million," says Royal. "If you remove the government grant that we receive, we have to raise $60,000 every month from within our community to meet our budget. Clearly, that is a significant amount, and it does take the community staying engaged with us in order to meet that budgetary goal."
"When the Northwest Arkansas Women's Shelter announced its financial difficulty last May, I was honestly unsure of where the organization would land," says Board President Angelique O'Bryan. "We had discussed multiple scenarios as a board -- essentially, the question came down to 'Do we close the doors, or do we fight for what we know our community needs?' I'm so happy that we chose to band together with the incredible Northwest Arkansas community and champion this amazing cause. The public show of support has been incredible, and I'm proud to be a part of the turnaround efforts."
The Shelter will celebrate at an upcoming private event at Bentonville's Oven and Tap where community donors, board members and staff will be thanked for their efforts.
"Everyone present will be a voice that stood up while we were in crisis, joined us and stood alongside us," says Lacewell. The organization will release its first entries in a series of informational videos at the event, as well. "One video features a resident who was a child in our shelter six years ago. Now she is an adult, and she talks about how the shelter helped her. We also have a video that features one of our previous clients, who will speak as a reminder of why the shelter is needed in our community and the value of the services that we provide. There are families truly escaping to save their lives, and we help those families in their journey to live violence-free."
"Statistically, we know that one in three women and one in four men will be subjected to domestic violence in their lifetimes, regardless of demographic or socioeconomic status," says O'Bryan. "We can look at the numbers served within the state of Arkansas and know that despite there being 32 domestic violence shelters in Arkansas, our shelter services about one in seven of those given assistance. This shelter plays a huge part in the care and recovery process for victims of domestic violence in Arkansas."
Royal says safeguards have been put in place to ensure budgetary issues are under control in the past year. The organization has changed its model of fundraising and is actively seeking more government grants. The videos that will be launched at their celebratory event are another new effort, one aimed at letting the community know the importance of what they do.
"We are committed to ensuring that we have a sustainable model," she says.
O'Bryan says that community involvement is critical to that mission.
"I would implore [the community] to continue to help," she says. "The Northwest Arkansas Women's Shelter could have been a sinking ship, but, instead, thanks to [the community], it is a phoenix rising from the ashes." O'Bryan says she would like to ask the community to "consider donating and volunteering, as what we do depends on you! It's time to link arms as a community and walk forward together, taking a stand against domestic violence."
NAN Profiles on 05/14/2017