Celebrating 2022: a Year of Overcoming

Every year, we love to take time to reflect and celebrate all the moments we want to keep with us. Your financial impact allowed us to celebrate some pretty big moments in 2022 including:

  • Cleared the site for our future Youth Shelter (We’ll be groundbreaking in 2023!)

  • Offer onside educational and employment opportunities

  • Providing additional mental health support and services

  • Increasing LifeBASE programming.

This work could not be done without our donors and supporters who help us build an expansive pathway to healing for youth from crisis around Arkansas.

see your impact: Brody’s Story

Your generosity fuels a wide range of life-changing opportunities, including supportive housing, nutritious meals, educational opportunities, mentorship, life skills classes, and more. Through your support, Overcomers like Brody are given hope and the opportunity to overcome. Dreams, like buying a car and having his own place, are now a reality.

2022 Year end giving

Thanks to the generosity of many, we not only hit our $300,000 matching goal but EXCEEDED it!

You helped us raise $635,731.92 during the 2022 year-end giving season.

THANK YOU, to every individual, family, church, and business who gave. You helped create opportunities for growth and transformation for Overcomers in Arkansas!

 
 

Impactful Moments from 2022

 

bonding with mentors

The transformative role of a mentor in an Overcomer’s story creates an unconditional relationship that leads to healing and growth. In the past year, 90 youth were paired with trained mentors at Immerse! One youth, Faith, paired with a mentor and created a special bond with this new member of her Circle of Support, Jennie. This relationship became a safe space throughout this year. Through moves, new jobs, and other life events Jennie continuously shows Faith that there are people in her corner.

“I was excited to be a part of someone’s life… growing that relationship. To feel like somebody could call me when they needed to, and I could help out.” - Jennie, Immerse Mentor

USING THEIR VOICES

Hands down, one of the year’s most memorable highlights was the 1018 Youth Forum. There are 1,018 miles between The OC and Washington D.C., but the distance didn’t seem so far when our youth met with state and federal officials who oversee child welfare and other state divisions across the country.

The stories, critiques, and information our youth shared will help change and/or strengthen current laws and resources throughout the country. It was an incredible honor for our youth to participate in these conversations. We are proud of them for sharing their own experiences in order to help more youth access the support they need to transition from crisis to healing.

 
 

Steps toward a shelter

Work got underway to clear the site of Immerse's future youth shelter. We, alongside so many of you, have been dreaming of and praying for this shelter for a long time. To see this dream take steps into reality is extremely exciting! This space will be the first shelter of its kind in the state, created to be a safe place for youth ages 18-24 experiencing homelessness and other traumas. 

Once completed, the 7,265-square-foot facility will include 15 suites each with private bedrooms and bathrooms, a shared kitchen and recreation space, rooms for counseling, and outdoor areas. Thanks to the generosity of many, we plan to begin construction next spring and open its doors in the spring of 2024. The shelter will provide critical safety and protection for youth when they need it most.