Northwest Arkansas Children's Shelter

Contact Information

14100 Vaughn Road, Bentonville, AR

479-795-2417

Organization Information

Mission:  The mission of Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter is to provide a safe haven, high quality care and hope for the future to children who have been abandoned, abused or neglected.

Values: Compassion: We will recognize and meet the needs of children with respect, sensitivity and unconditional love.
Excellence: We will set the standard for high quality service to children by performing above the expected.
Integrity: We will strive with our words and actions to be worthy of the trust placed in us. 

About: The Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter is a private, non-profit organization that provides 24-hour emergency residential care to children who are victims of family violence, neglect and physical and sexual abuse. The Children’s Shelter is designed to meet the needs of these children by providing them with a safe and loving environment to reduce their trauma, through support and nurturing. We are staffed and ready, day and night, taking in and caring for children in crisis. Children may stay with us for up to 45 days in a six-month period, before being placed in another foster-care setting or returning to their families.

Since opening in 1993, the Children’s Shelter has cared for more than 6,700 children from throughout the state of Arkansas. Our capacity of 48 beds, state-of-the-art complex, on-site school and on-sit counseling services make us unique among children’s shelters in Arkansas and our region. The combination of these features creates a stable, secure and loving environment where the hurts that children have experienced can begin to heal.

Services: Emergency Care: Focuses on meeting the basic needs of the children so they can begin to feel safe and to heal.

The Sophia Scott Expanding Horizons Program: Gives children the opportunity to participate in fun activities and help them learn to manage fear and stress while also building self-esteem.
On-Site School Classrooms: Offer individualized education by state-certified teachers in a supportive, low student-to-teacher ratio environment.
Counseling Service: Available on-site, along with follow up services that are provided to the Shelter by a licensed counselor from Vista Health.

Volunteer: Visit the website to see how you can donate finances or tangible gifts, to participate in fundraisers or create your own fundraiser.

There are also direct service volunteers who work with the staff as they care for and interact with the children. These include:
Direct Care (School Aged), Direct Care (Infant/Preschool), Outing Chaperone, Education, or Skill Classes.

Support service volunteers assist the Children’s Shelter in many ways, which may involve some interaction with the children, but primarily involve other necessary tasks. Previous experience is preferred, though not required for these volunteer positions:
Office Assistant, Maintenance/Landscaping

Special Event Volunteers assist at fund-raisers and community events that occur throughout the year. The application process is not required for these opportunities. If you would like to be added to the Special Event Volunteer e-mail list to receive information about these opportunities as they arise, please contact Volunteer Coordinator Gretchen Laffoon at [email protected] or 479-795-2412, ext. 315.

Groups looking to volunteer at the Children’s Shelter have several different options:
Group Childcare, Group Projects. 

For more information about these volunteer opportunities, please visit the website.