Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)
The CASA of Northwest Arkansas, Inc. mission is to speak for the best interests of abused and neglected children in court. We promote and support quality volunteer representation for children to provide each child a safe, permanent, nurturing home.

FROM A CHILD
My CASA worker is extremely devoted to what she does, and I can tell by the way she has shown up to every single court date, even the ones that were just five minutes long. I don’t get many visits here because my parents don’t have custody of me. Having her there just to talk to keeps me from crashing to that low point in my life. During court, I often feel anxious and upset, but my CASA worker assures me that I won’t be harmed by my father.

FROM A CASA VOLUNTEER
From my experiences with my CASA worker, I have learned to be more understanding of others. Whenever the residents of my facility feel upset, I usually refrain from giving advice, but I always give my support and sympathy. I hope to someday take an active part in the foster care system and maybe show someone else that there are wonderful benefits in living and loving yourself.

Conductive Education of Northwest Arkansas (CENA)
Through CENA, children with motor disorders or disabilities originating from the central nervous system, such as cerebral palsy, are given the chance to develop from an educational perspective. While most children with these disabilities are only aided through therapeutic means, children who attend CENA also learn problem-solving skills and gain independence. CENA's goal is to challenge children with motor disorders to reach their highest potential and simply accomplish more.

Hunter's Story
"Our son Hunter was born in August of 2001, 14 weeks premature. At two pounds, three ounces, our bundle of joy struggled each day to live. After 10 weeks in the NICU he was finally big enough and strong enough to leave the hospital. We were beyond excited to finally have him home."

Hunter began traditional physical and occupational therapies almost immediately upon arriving home at Easter Seals, an excellent program in Little Rock, Arkansas. His progress was good but after two and a half years we believed he could do more. In March of 2004, we discovered a program for children with motor disorders called Conductive Education. In April of 2004, after many hours of research we moved from Little Rock to northwest Arkansas so that Hunter could attend Conductive Education full-time.
Hunter has now been in the program almost a year and a half and his progress has been amazing. He is able to accomplish tasks he could not even attempt before beginning the program. He can sit independently longer than ever before He continues to make wonderful progress walking with an assisted device and he gets up everyday excited about taking another step! He is blooming and we are thrilled!
Needless to say, Conductive Education of Northwest Arkansas has had a dramatic impact on his life and ours.

For more information about Conductive Education of Northwest Arkansas please contact Leslie Porter at (479) 725-1015 or e-mail arkansasce@aol.com.

Children's Safety Center
Every year, physical and sexual abuse robs hundreds of children in Northwest Arkansas of their dreams, their self-esteem and their childhood. The Children's Safety Center believes that, for these children, those dreams may be all they have. The Center's mission is to provide a comprehensive, child-focused program in which the child is protected from being retraumatized during the demands of the abuse investigation process. In a quiet, non-threatening manner, the Children's Safety Center advocates for the child victim, while allowing law enforcement, child protection professionals, and the medical and mental health communities to work together in one place. The Center's collaborative approach to advocacy assures that the abuse will not define the child. Rather, it can help shape whom they become.

Sheyanne's Story
Sheyanne was 17 when she came to the Safety Center for services. She had lived with the man who was abusing her for years. Once she disclosed her abuse, her world came apart. Her entire family abandoned her. No one would acknowledge the truth about her abuse, tragically, part of the family "secret." She was kicked out her home without any of her belongings... left to fend for herself. She became suicidal and was placed under suicide watch.

The Safety Center provided an interview and a sexual-assault medical exam. Sheyanne's advocate, Karen, immediately stepped in and became her emotional support system. Her demeanor and response to her abuse changed dramatically, the instant that she knew someone was listening and that someone believed her. Karen visited Sheyanne weekly until she could go on short "leaves." During those times, Karen talked with Sheyanne about her plans for the future.

"I want to finish my high school education, go to technical college and become an electrician," said Sheyanne. "The Safety Center helped me to see that I was valuable. I want to be an example to other abused kids that they can be valuable to society, too!" Sheyanne was recently placed in foster care and is currently employed.

For more information about Children's Safety Center please contact Melissa Handley at (479) 872-6183 or e-mail mhandley@jtlshop.jonesnet.org.

EOA Children's House
The area's youngest victims of abuse and neglect can find security in Children's House. The organization focuses on giving children the therapy, rehabilitation, and preschool services they need to get back on track to a healthy, productive life. Each day, children between the ages of 18 months and five years are brought to Children's House on the Children's House Bus. One day at a time, Children's House holds the hands of these small children and guides them toward a complete recovery. With the help of Children's House, these children can look forward to entering kindergarten with smiles on their faces.

Cathy's Story
Cathy came to Children's House when she was four years old. She had been placed in foster care because of her drug-addicted mother's failure to protect Cathy from sexual abuse. The foster mother had enrolled Cathy in a public daycare, but the center could not keep her; she acted out sexually, was violent and destructive, she hurt herself and the other children and showed no sadness or remorse.

Once enrolled at Children's House, support and child management services were provided to the foster mother and the biological mother. With intensive intervention, a structured environment and behavior management, Cathy made excellent progress and began to use words to express her feelings and to show empathy. Her biological mother received drug treatment, attending parenting classes and received individual and family counseling services.

Due to the progress of both the child and the mother, the Judge allowed a trial placement in the home. The family was closely monitored and continued to make progress. Eventually, Children's House assisted the mother in transitioning Cathy to public school. The case is now closed and Cathy attends school with no need for supportive services and is currently on the honor roll.

For more information about EAO Children's House please contact Patricia Artripe at (479) 443-5239 or email tartripe@yahoo.com. or visit http://www.eoawc.org

Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter
The Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter is an emergency shelter that provides 24-hour residential care for 300-400 children each year who have been removed from their families due to physical abuse, sexual abuse, or severe neglect. During their stay at the shelter the children are provided with their immediate physical needs such a safe place to stay, food and clothing. To help the children cope with the abuse and neglect of their past and the recent separation from their families, they are also provided with emotional support such as counseling, blankets & stuffed animals to comfort them, and one-on-one attention from caring staff and volunteers. The children attend school on-site to prevent them the possible trauma of having to be enrolled in a strange new school. Medical, dental, vision, and hearing screenings are performed and transportation is also provided to court hearings and visits with family. Structured activities and outings promote confidence and self-esteem. The Shelter staff and volunteers are dedicated to making a long-term difference in the lives of hurting children by allowing them to feel safe and loved; therefore, breaking the cycle of abuse in their lives.

Heather's Story
Sixteen year old Heather came to the shelter after being sexually abused by her father. Heather’s delays in her social and emotional development were immediately obvious, as she still enjoyed playing with dolls and much younger children. She refused to take showers, wear deodorant, brush her hair, or change her clothes – even after wetting the bed every night. Other teen girls were mean to her because she smelled bad.

The case manager at the Children's Shelter worked with Heather daily to make sure that she learned proper hygiene. Heather was resistant at first, but felt much better about herself after she made an effort to take care of herself. Before Heather left the shelter, she realized that she had been attempting to avoid further sexual abuse by making herself as undesirable as possible. She was able to see a doctor for medication that helped her stop bed wetting. Heather felt safe enough at the shelter to meet her hygiene goals and feel proud about her appearance.

The first is Community-Based Mentoring where adults become big brothers or sisters and are paired with a child and spend several days a month together. The School/Site-Based Mentoring program sends adult matches to spend time with kids on their school grounds. The third program is the High School Bigs program in which high school students spend time weekly mentoring elementary school students. Through mentoring, BBBSNWA hopes to make a difference in the lives of children in our area.

Darcy & Christi's Story
After her older sister became a Little Sister, Darcy patiently waited two years to become eligible for the program. Shortly after her sixth birthday, Darcy met her new Big Sister Christi. Since then, they have had a lot of fun together every other weekend, going out for dinner and ice cream, watching movies, attending performances at the Walton Arts Center, cheering at Razorback baseball games and gymnastic events, and more. Darcy says Christi is “funny” and “nice.” Becoming a Little Sister has made a big impact on Darcy’s life, giving her positive experiences that will hopefully build her confidence and give her a good foundation for life.