Celebrating a Year of Overcoming
Our partners include an array of families, individuals, churches, businesses, foundations, and funders. We work together to build a circle of unconditional support around each youth from crisis. We invest the time and tools needed to co-create a pathway to adulthood. You’re a critical part of this collaboration, and we’re grateful for you!
When you partner with Immerse by giving your time or resources, you help us create opportunities for youth from crisis to heal, grow, and pursue big goals for the future.
2022 Year-End Giving Update:
Thanks to the generosity of many, we not only hit our $300,000 matching goal but EXCEEDED it! This brings the grand total raised to $635,731.92 during the 2022 year-end giving season. To every individual, family, church, and business who gave, thank you for creating opportunities for growth and transformation for Overcomers in Arkansas!
See the IMPACT you make.
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 Top 10 Moments at Immerse
It’s an Immerse tradition to reflect on each year and celebrate the moments we want to carry with us. There is so much to celebrate from 2022, and we’re excited to share our favorite highlights with you.
This work could not be done without you! We hope you’re encouraged by your impact and inspired to continue with us as we endeavor to build an expansive pathway to healing for youth from crisis around Arkansas.
Top Moment #10: Celebrating Successes
It’s no small feat for our youth to finish school, get a job, or engage in therapy while facing obstacles like homelessness, aging out of foster care, or family separation. And yet every day, they show up and accomplish their goals despite obstacles in their lives. Each Overcomer’s journey has highs and lows, but even in hard times, they rise above adversity to make their dreams and goals a reality.
Breakthrough is a daily occurrence. So we asked our Overcomers, “What have you overcome?” and “What are you overcoming?” They reflected on the incredible steps they have made and the steps they continue to take toward even more breakthroughs. One Overcomer shared that they will “keep on going and striving for more.”
So let’s celebrate their hard work in pursuing a path of success and healing. We’re proud of our youth's commitment to working toward a better, brighter future.
“I try to come in, help my peers, show them there’s an easy way out.”
Top Moment #9: all in a day’s work
Add in first interview jitters, confusion navigating the bus system, and other challenges, and our youth overcome so much to reach their goals! To combat these barriers, we have an Employment Coach on staff who helps youth with employment skills such as filling out job applications, practicing for job interviews, and developing a professional resume. Our Coaches meet with youth one on one to help them navigate the bus system, get IDs, find work uniforms, and even secure mailing addresses.
And as a Workforce Development Site, we were able to offer on-the-job training and support to 15 youth this year, helping them prepare for different skills they will need in future jobs. We look for opportunities to reinforce their success by celebrating weekly wins and creating opportunities to expand their horizons (including a visit to Orange Beach!).
Top Moment #8: Hats Off To Graduates
Few things are as integral to lifelong success as entering adulthood with a GED or diploma. This year, we celebrated the many youth who graduated high school or earned different certifications. Each youth successfully juggled classes, work, and other life circumstances and was rewarded for their hard work.
Please join us in celebrating Heidy, Amina, and Stella, three Overcomers, for not only doing the work in their LifeBASE Transitional program but also for graduating from high school and earning a high school diploma. We are proud of everything they have accomplished on their journey to become Overcomers and excited to see what they do next! Nationally, only about half of young people who grow up in foster care go on to finish high school. So, earning a high school diploma is a HUGE reason to celebrate our Overcomers and the opportunities they have for their futures!
“It’s opener, out there, in the wide, open air.”
Top Moment #7: FLoating the buffalo
New and challenging experiences have the ability to open minds and hearts in a special way. Because of the support of our donors and volunteers, we have established new, transformational experiences which allow youth to try new activities and grow emotionally and physically. We organized fishing trips, river tubing, rock climbing, weekly hikes, and much more. Among the many experiences, the Buffalo seemed to be the favorite!
We lost count of how many miles we had trekked as a group sometime around March, but we are okay with that! Our youth are connecting with one another and experiencing the natural, unfiltered beauty of our State. With every step they take, they are blazing a trail, both literally and figuratively, and there is no pedometer in the world that can measure how meaningful it is to set out on a new adventure and grow from that experience.
Top Moment #6: A Lot of Help from Our Friends
Whether connecting with youth relationally, cooking meals, teaching life skills, or more, Immerse would not exist without the work of mentors and volunteers. This Top Moment is a shout-out to every church, business, small group, individual, and organization who stepped in to give their time to show support to youth from crisis here in Arkansas. There are too many folks to name, but here are a few pics to celebrate.
This year, we were excited to be able to organize more opportunities for volunteers and mentors to connect with youth! From events like the Immerse Family Reunion and Fall Festival to sharing regular meals at The Gathering, we brought together a group of dedicated individuals through fun activities that helped our youth feel the strength and support of an entire community.
“I have somebody that’s actually on my team.”
Top Moment #5: Cisily’s journey of overcoming
Key to the success of our Overcomers is their Circle of Support. Each youth’s Circle of Support is made up of a diverse team of people who champion our Overcomers on their journey toward healing and healthy adulthood. These coaches, mentors, family members, RAs, volunteers, and donors make up the Circle of Support that every Overcomer relies on to transition into adulthood successfully. They surround youth from crisis with love and compassion and through unconditional relationships, help them heal from past trauma.
Watch Cisily’s video to learn more about her journey as an Overcomer and the support she finds in her Circle of Support.
Top Moment #4: Youth using their voice
Hands down, one of the year’s most memorable highlights was the 1018 Youth Forum. There are one thousand and eighteen 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.
“I felt like I was an advocate for homeless youth. I didn’t just get to care about it, but do something for it.”
Top Moment #3: 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
These youth-led relationships create a connection! Overcomers build trust and create a friendship with someone that supports them on their journey towards a renewed future.
Top Moment #2: Swelling support for the holidays
While there are many reasons to celebrate during this season, we recognize that for many of our youth it is also a difficult time. On December 13th, we kicked off our 3rd annual Christmas Palooza. This season has been filled with Christmas lights, karaoke, gingerbread decorating, and so much more! At Immerse, we created our Christmas Palooza to help combat the feeling of isolation and to increase our support of Overcomers during the holidays. These events and activities help rewrite the narrative of many youth’s lives and build new memories during this time of the year.
Top Moment #1: Steps toward a shelter
This year, we were excited to watch as 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 spring of 2024. The shelter will provide critical safety and protection for youth when they need it most.