“Friends committed to bringing joy to childhood through personal
Transcription
“Friends committed to bringing joy to childhood through personal
“Friends committed to bringing joy to childhood through personal giving.” A SAFE HAVEN OF HOPE Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter provides 24-hour emergency care for children (girls from birth to age 17 and boys from birth to age 12) who have been abandoned, abused or neglected. C hildren may live with us for up to 45 days in a six-month period. Founded in 1993, Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter cares for about 500 children per year from throughout the state of Arkansas, but hundreds more are turned away because of capacity issues. We attempt to address the physical, emotional, therapeutic, educational and developmental needs of the children in our care, so they can begin to heal from the hurts they have experienced. Our mission is to provide a safe haven, high-quality care and hope for the future to children who have been abandoned, abused or neglected. STAGGERING NUMBERS • In the United States, a case of child abuse or neglect is reported every 10 seconds. • In Arkansas, about 8,600 valid cases of abuse and neglect are reported each year. • The children in our care may be victims of neglect (80 percent), physical abuse (15 percent) and sexual abuse (5 percent). PURPOSE OF CIRCLES OF GIVING Annual giving is about joining together to help care for the most vulnerable members of our community. As a Children’s Shelter Circles of Giving annual member, perhaps your greatest reward is the role you play in providing hope for the future to children who have been abandoned, abused or neglected. MEMBERSHIP LEVELS Membership is open to all people who wish to support the mission of the Children’s Shelter with an annual gift. Gifts may be made in the form of cash, checks or credit cards. Following are our different Circles of Giving, all of which are available to individuals and businesses: • Circle of Care:.....................$500 - $1,499 • Circle of Compassion:....$1,500 - $4,999 • Circle of Friends:.............$5,000 - $9,999 • Circle of Trust:.............$10,000 - $14,999 • Circle of Hope:.............$15,000 - $24,999 WHY ANNUAL GIVING? Even though the children in our care are placed here by the state, only 25 percent of our revenue comes from state reimbursement. The other 75 percent comes from donations and sponsorships. We have to raise that amount every year. That’s why we need a core group of annual givers. HOW YOUR GIFTS ARE USED Thanks to the Circles of Giving, we can: •Provide rides to more than 1,000 medical, dental & vision care appointments per year. •Have a birthday party for each child. •Take the kids on 200 “fun” Sophia Scott Expanding Horizons outings. HOW FAR YOUR GIFTS GO •$500 = school supplies for 20 kids. •$1,500 = a memorable moment for 30 children. •$5,000 = an individual birthday party for 40 children. •$10,000 = five full sets of new clothes each for 100 children. • $15,000 = 15 educational field trips for 30 children. LEVI’S STORY Levi came to NWA Children’s Shelter in a pitiful state ... sightless, loveless, speechless and hopeless. At 2½ years old, he was covered in scars, scabs and open sores. He spoke no English – and only a few words in his native tongue. And we were told he was totally blind. At first, he cried non-stop and could not be soothed. He had difficulty separating from his big sister. And like a feral child, he ate only with his hands and would hit, scratch and pinch staff members and volunteers. Early on, our case managers initiated evaluations for hearing, vision, dermatology, allergies. speech and physical development. The biggest eye-opener? Levi is not completely blind. In fact, Levi saw well enough to drive a child-sized car like a pro. He enjoyed it so much, we arranged to send the car with him. When Levi left us after 44 days: •He was very compliant and affectionate. •He was communicating much better. •Many of his sores and scabs had healed. •He was eating with utensils.). Levi is just one example of a child whose future outlook is much brighter because of services funded by the Circles of Giving. Levi now literally sees life much differently … with hope. I want to be a member of the Children’s Shelter Circles of Giving Name:__________________________ Address:_________________________ City:____________ State:____ ZIP:______ Phone:__________________________ E-mail:__________________________ List name as it should appear:__________ ______________________________ Please make my gift anonymous Commitment: Circle of _________________________ 1 Year 2 Years 3 Years Payment schedule: My gift is attached: $______________ Check #:______________________ Please bill me: Monthly Quarterly Yearly Credit Card:_______________________ Visa Master Card Amex Discover Card #:________________ Exp:__ /___ My employer has a gift-matching program Please mail this completed form to: Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter 14100 Vaughn Road Bentonville, AR 72712 Questions? Please contact Annual Giving Manager Brooke Boles: Phone: 479.795.2417, ext. 311 Fax: 479.795.4195 E-mail: bboles@nwacs.org NWA Children’s Shelter Programs and Services EMERGENCY CARE and CASE MANAGEMENT This program focuses on meeting the basic needs of children who have been abused and/ or neglected, so they can begin to feel safe … and to heal. Emergency Care includes accommodations in a “homey” setting, 24-hour supervised care, balanced meals, healthy snacks, clothing, personal-care items and attention to hygiene and/or health issues. Our case managers coordinate a battery of evaluations and interventions to assess and address each child’s developmental needs. EDUCATION PROGRAM Our On-site School, operated under the “umbrella” of the Bentonville Public Schools, offers individualized education for children in our care. Our academic performance tracking shows that the children in our care often display marked improvement in their education level during their time with us. Students get personalized instruction from state-certified teachers, in three agegrouped classes (kindergarten-2nd grade; 3rd-6th grades; and 7th-12th grades). COUNSELING On-site counseling services are provided by licensed counselors from Vantage Point (formerly Vista Health). Having integrated counseling services is more responsive and less disruptive, adding to the sense of security children feel as they acclimate to their temporary home and begin to deal with some of the difficult issues that may have brought them here. SOPHIA SCOTT EXPANDING HORIZONS PROGRAM This program gives children the opportunity to participate in “fun” activities that help them learn to manage fear and stress, while building self-esteem. The program includes activities such as bowling, movies, park visits, zoo trips, arts center visits/plays, amusement parks, swimming, skating, kid-themed restaurants, craft-making and church (on request). For more information, please visit www.nwacs.org or call 479.795.2417 14100 Vaughn Road / Bentonville, AR 72712 / 479.795.2417