For more than 30 years, Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter has served as a place of refuge — a safe, steady environment for children during some of the most uncertain moments of their lives.

Now rebranded as EverHope, the nonprofit is broadening its services to better support not only children in crisis, but also the families and foster youth who need care across Northwest Arkansas.

The nonprofit opened in 1993 as an emergency shelter for children removed from situations of abuse, neglect or abandonment. Each year, around 300 children spend anywhere from a few days to months at EverHope’s 82-acre Bentonville campus, where trauma-informed staff provide 24/7 care before the children are placed in foster homes.

More than just a safe place to sleep, children are provided balanced meals and clothing, and can continue their education through a partnership with the Bentonville Public School District. The campus also offers a fishing pond, bike trails, gardens and a sports field, and children often take field trips to community spaces and events.

“Children come to us in that moment of crisis when really they have nowhere else to go, and so this campus allows them to start to write that new chapter, or start to dream about what's possible,” said EverHope CEO Rebekah Mitchell. 

With the needs of the community continually evolving, EverHope is pursuing new strategies to not only better serve the children who come to the shelter, but also to take proactive steps to support families before a crisis occurs. The recent rebranding to EverHope reflects the expansion of its services to support children — and families — at each stage of their journey.

“Throughout all of our different programs that have been added over time, we really recognized that we want to be able to support children, no matter where they're at on their journey, from prevention and mitigation to crisis and recovery,” Mitchell said. “It's important that children and families know that they're not alone in that journey.”

With the number of children in foster care far exceeding the number of foster homes available, one of EverHope’s new initiatives is expanding the network of foster families in Northwest Arkansas. 

Launched in July 2025, EverHope is not only expanding opportunities for new families to become licensed to foster, but it is also providing more assistance to those families — with support groups and case managers — helping families throughout the entire fostering process.

With case managers available 24/7, EverHope is serving as a direct link between foster families and the Division of Children and Family Services, so families don’t have to navigate the process on their own. So far, the program has placed five children into new foster homes.

“It truly takes a community, every child's picture and story is different,” Mitchell said. “We want to ensure that we are setting foster families up for success.”

Another new initiative is the EverHope School Project, a trauma-informed education program currently in its pilot year at Springdale’s K–8 Connect School. After operating a charter school on its campus for five years, the nonprofit recognized that partnering directly with public schools could broaden access to the program and deepen its impact.

“The hope is that we can prevent that crisis from becoming a catastrophe by really focusing on the prevention and mitigation piece,” Mitchell said. “The goal is to keep kids out of foster care.”

EverHope’s team works alongside educators and families to create consistency between school and home. They support teachers when behavioral issues arise, while also connecting parents and guardians with resources that promote stability — from building daily routines to assistance with employment. The organization hopes to expand into more school districts in the future and create a model that can be replicated across the state.

“We're showing parents that this is hard and you're not alone, and it's okay to ask for help,” Mitchell added. “Let's have a little bit of grace and understanding, and create a space where a child can be successful at home and also at school.”

EverHope is also focusing on the critical transition foster youth face after turning 18. Through its developing Path to Adulthood program, young adults who choose to remain connected to EverHope will be able to access continued support aimed at long-term stability, including financial education, workforce preparation, health and wellness resources, and adult mentorship.

“Our goal is to equip young adults with the skills they need to be successful,” Mitchell said. “It is very much a recovery piece, but it is also a prevention piece, because those young adults are going to become the next generation of parents having children, and we want to make sure that they have the tools and the support they need to break that cycle.”

Support EverHope’s initiatives through monetary donations, corporate sponsorships or by volunteering.