Rates of child abuse are increasing in our state. The most current data on child abuse in Northwest Arkansas shows 3,567 reported cases of abuse and neglect in Northwest Arkansas in 2007; this is more than a 47% increase since 2000 according to the Arkansas Department of Human Services.
Unfortunately, due to limited space the program is forced to turn children away on a weekly, if not daily basis whose lives could be dramatically improved with our help. Today, Children’s House has identified more than 400 children in Washington and Benton Counties who would benefit from the services currently provided through the program. Children’s House has a very limited ability to help abused children in Benton County due to its location in south Fayetteville. Furthermore, there is no comparable service in Benton County to assist these children, so almost all of them grow up without any treatment at all.
Course of Action
EOA plans to build a larger, more regionally accessible facility to accomplish the following goals:
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- Increase the program’s service capacity for abused children.
- Increase the program’s service area.
- Expand the bus system operated by Children's House to insure daily transportation of children to the center for the duration of their treatment.
- Improve quality of treatment and services to children and their families.
- Eliminate the age requirement of 18 months, making it possible to provide treatment and therapy to abused infants as young as 6 weeks of age.
EOA is working with Hight Jackson Associates to design this new center for abused children. The design process and working construction documents were completed during the middle of May 2008. The entire building was designed with one mission; to enhance the lives of abused children. Some features of the new, 24,000 sq/ft center include:
- A 328% increase in service capacity. Children’s House will be able to serve 72 children at a time, up 50 from the current child population of 22.
- The site for the new center is located in northern Springdale with excellent access to the region’s three major north/south traffic corridors, making it possible to serve victims of abuse throughout Northwest Arkansas.
- A wing designed for treating abused infants between the ages of 6 weeks and 18 months, a new service currently unavailable anywhere in the region.
- Dedicated physical, occupational and speech therapy rooms.
- Indoor play facilities for times of severe/hot/cold weather.
- EOA is exploring all options for using green construction techniques to lower the center’s water and energy consumption, and reduce greenhouse gasses and wastewater.
- Hight Jackson’s design team created a building design which will allow the center to double its service capacity in the future, through cost-effective expansion.
Current Status of Building Project
The following goals have been identified and/or achieved during The Campaign for Children as of April 2008:
- 12 acres of property accessible from N. Lowell Rd in Springdale (click here for a map) - was generously donated by the City of Springdale and Fadil Bayyari to serve as the new location of the Children’s House.
- Hight-Jackson Associates has estimated a budget estimate of $4.4 million for the center’s construction and another $1.3 million for furnishings, building equipment and construction-related fees, based on a target start-date of the end of 2008.
- More than $2.4 million of private donations are already committed or pending.
- $1,000,000: Wal-Mart / Sam’s Club Foundation
- $500,000: City of Springdale & Fadil Bayyari (Land Donation)
- $250,000: Willard & Pat Walker Foundation, 2007
- $250,000: J.R. Ball & J.R. Ball Contracting Group
- $100,000: Tyson Foods, Inc.
- $100,000: Junior League of NWA
- $100,000: Vance & Bridget Wilson, Campaign for Children Chairs
- $107,568.95: Other contributions from donors.
Please contact Ben McLintock at mclintock_eoa@yahoo.com or 479-872-7479 ex. 16 if you would like to learn more about how you can help save the lives of abused children in our community.
