The Power of Collective Impact in Washington County

It's a new dawn for Washington County.

This week, the 10:33 Initiative hosted its kickoff event in Washington County, which will help move people and families from crisis to career, granting them the resources they need to thrive. Nonprofits, judges, school leaders, officers, and other community figures met at the Perry Professional Development Center to discuss the importance of collaboration in Northwest Arkansas.

Springdale Public Schools will be the backbone organization of the Washington County chapter, with Brittany Thornton serving as the county coordinator.

"I am so excited to get to work and serve our community," Thornton said. "I am so grateful for Springdale schools for bringing this on because we're going to be doing some amazing work."

Introducing the story of the 10:33 Initiative was Morgan Warbington, who serves as the director for the Governor Sanders' Faith Based Initiatives. Warbington let the attendees know that community provides the essential tangible support we need to overcome challenges. 

"Your community. They are the people that know you, that can love you, that want you to succeed because it's in the benefit, it's in the interest of everyone in your community that you can succeed and stand upon your own."

Warbington also emphasized that although prayer is important, substantial work must be done to create change within communities.

"I believe in the power of prayer, and I will pray for you, but we need some physical, tangible help right now that can come in here and hold your hand because that's what you need."

Restore Hope executive director Paul Chapman took the stage and explained the role HopeHub plays as a part of the 10:33 Initiative's expansion to Washington County. HopeHub allows expert service providers across the county to bring resources to participants who need support.

"What I think we're saying as a community is, 'You don't have to do it alone,' because there are actually experts in this community," Chapman said. "We can articulate to you and with you a pathway that'll actually deliver what you want."

Hopehub's presence in Washington County will allow state agencies and local communities to unite, utilizing an initiative focused on efficiency, better outcomes, and fostering collaboration for a stronger community.

One of the highlighted partnerships presented during the kickoff meeting was CarePortal, a community platform that fosters collaboration with caseworkers with local churches, nonprofits, and other organizations, all aimed at providing resources to children and families in crisis.

Representing CarePortal was Heather Sanders with the Arkansas Family Alliance. She recognized the impact child welfare has placed across the community and the importance of mobilizing it, as well as a safe space for faith communities and support for families.

"That bridge strengthens all three sides at once: the child welfare gets a fast, trusted way to help mobilize. The faith community gets a clear, safe way to love on our neighbors, and our families see that we want them to succeed. And guess what? It's working."

Sanders also emphasized the role CarePortal has in bridging the gap for families in need, using resources such as the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), Restore Hope, or other child welfare agencies.

"CarePortal is that bridge that allows the community and the churches and the businesses to come together and close that gap in a very simple way," Sanders said. "You can say yes to a need from the system."

Rebekah Mitchell, CEO of EverHope, shared Sanders' excitement for the future of Washington County, celebrating the profound impact of community support.

"One of the most important things that you've heard over and over today is that being there in that moment of crisis is so important," Mitchell said. "It's one of the most powerful things you can do."

Mitchell continued that being alongside children and families and guiding them through to stability should be the main goal of these newly found partnerships.

"We should be walking alongside children and families so that that door is the right door and it's always open. And when they get to that flight of stairs, they know they don't have to walk it alone. Because being in community, walking alongside someone, is one of the most powerful things we can do. Because those stairs are long and sometimes feel impossible."

Following Mitchell was Krista Langston, executive director of community programs for UAMS, who spoke of the role this new partnership will play in assuaging issues new mothers face in Washington County.

"We're finding that women who are on maternity leave often need access to food, to rent, and assistance with their utilities," Langston said. "Restore Hope is really allowing us to work as a community to address the needs of moms and to make sure that the mom is thriving and that the baby is thriving."

Langston reported that in collaboration with organizations across Washington County, solutions for maternal health are within reach.

"Now we have the opportunity to touch every mom post-discharge with the support that they need to ensure that they do not have urgent maternal warning signs, getting them back to the ER, getting them to their postpartum appointments, but more importantly, addressing their social determinants of health."

Springdale Public Schools superintendent Dr. Jared Cleveland rounded out the kickoff meeting emphasizing the need for a collective heart for others, and the dedication to supporting families and ensuring every child takes their vital first step towards a brighter future.

"We're going to work with collective effort to ensure every child that we come across and every family that we come across that are struggling, that they're supported and they're nurtured and that they are able to take those steps."

Cleveland also highlighted the incredible strength found in community partnerships, exploring how facing life's challenges together, sharing the highs and lows, makes the journey fulfilling and achievable.

"It is a partnership climbing those stairs," Cleveland said. "Climbing alone is no fun. Climbing with a partner, you can do a lot of things with a partner. We walk together, we talk together, we cry together, we hug together.

With the 10:33 Initiative expanding to Washington County, more participants and families across the community will now be able to move from crisis to career much easier. It takes a village to support a community. With the 10:33 Initiative's new presence in Northwest Arkansas, a new chapter of collaboration and support is beginning in Washington County, and beyond.