Kyle Kellams: This past summer, we visited the campus of Northwest Arkansas Children's Shelter, a place where children find safety meals, care and more. This week, the organization is operating with its new name, EverHope. Rebekah Mitchell, the CEO of EverHope, says this new name comes after three decades of service, and after listening.
Rebekah Mitchell: We just listened to the community, we listened to kids, we listened to families, partners, supporters, and we realized that over the past 30 years, our programs have grown so much and have diversified so much to meet the needs of the children that we serve, that our name no longer captured the work that we're doing day in and day out. And so that really was the catalyst to the new name.
Kellams: The new name EverHope is so optimistic.
Mitchell: Yes.
Kellams: I'm sure that was part of the recipe.
Mitchell: Yes, it brings joy and it brings excitement and it brings companionship. And it really shows children that they're never alone. Hope shouldn't be a fleeting moment. It should be something that our communities, our state's children, should always have, regardless of what life throws at them. Children shouldn't be judged by their hardest day in life. They should always know that there's a brighter horizon there. And so that name reflects that, the work we're doing. It reflects how we want children and families to feel. Hope no matter what happens.
Kellams: You mentioned that this new name came after reflection and investigation over decades of work. Some people will hear, oh, new name. That means they're instantly, somehow changing mission and operation. That's not the case.
Mitchell: No, it is not the case. The shelter remains the heart of our work. We will always care for children. We will always be a safe place for children to land. Our work is not changing. It is just our name. We are still the shelter. We are still licensing foster homes. We are still in schools and in homes supporting children and families. And we are continuing to grow, part of our strategic plan is to continue to expand, to meet the needs of children who are getting older, becoming young adults as they transition into our community. So our work continues. It is just our name that changes.
Kellams: Physically, what does that mean? I mean, signage, stationary, if stationary is still a thing.
Mitchell: Yes. Remembering to say EverHope instead of the children's shelter.
Kellams: Yeah, exactly.
Mitchell: Yes. Yeah. Physically, the new name also allows us to share with the community that we're not just a place. Hope isn't tied to a single location. And while we have this incredible 80-acre campus, right here in northwest Arkansas, it also allows us to do this work in homes, in schools, wherever we're needed. And so for us, yes, it is signage and stationery and all of those things. But it also allows us to just continue to expand and be present.
Kellams: Let's talk about that 80-acre campus. You were gracious enough to let me do a tour in the summer, I think it was.
Mitchell: Yes.
Kellams: What happens there, in case people who haven't had a direct connection to EverHope.
Mitchell: Yeah. So you visited in the summer when we do a lot of bike riding and fishing at the pond.
Kellams: Weren't doing that this week?
Mitchell: No. Yesterday we were sledding down the hill, which is also fun, and building snowmen. But for us, our campus is a safe haven. It's a place where children can come. We have an emergency shelter where children in foster care who literally have nowhere else to go, are able to come from all over the state of Arkansas and receive safety. They are able to stay with us. They receive incredibly nutritious food. They go to school on site and honestly, they can be kids again. We do all of the medical care and counseling and all of the things that you need to heal.
Kellams: Meal prep?
Mitchell: Ultimately, yes. Ultimately, it's playing outside and being kids and growing up.
Kellams: If someone makes $100, $500, $1,000 contribution, what does that turn into for y'all?
Mitchell: It makes hope possible. It can be a meal, right? When a child first arrives, having a warm, comforting meal. When a child walks in the door, it can be supporting a foster family as they get ready to open up their home to a foster child. It can be teaching a teacher how to support a child who has experienced trauma right there in the classroom. Or a family, helping set them up with routines and making sure that they know, how do I support my child at home? How do I get my child up in the morning and ready for school, or put them to bed? It's medical care, it's education. You're changing a life. And every single dollar makes that possible.
EverHope is a new chapter for us. It's the same heart. It's the same mission. It's a new name. But it also, I hope, is an opportunity for the community to get excited again and come together again and for partners across the state to recognize how important it is for everyone to work together. We have an incredible fabric of hope here locally and across our state, and we're stronger if we work together. EverHope is one piece of an incredible tapestry, and we want people to know that we're ready to partner. We're ready to continue to stand by children and families, and we can only do that if we work together.
Kellams: Thank you so much for coming in.
Mitchell: Thank you for having me.
Kellams: Rebekah Mitchell is the CEO of EverHope, formerly Northwest Arkansas Children's Shelter. She visited the Anthony and Susan Hui News Studio yesterday.
Ozarks at Large transcripts are created on a rush deadline. Copy editors utilize AI tools to review work. KUAF does not publish content created by AI. Please reach out to kuafinfo@uark.edu to report an issue. The audio version is the authoritative record of KUAF programming.
