100 Families Initiative of Benton County

12/25/2025

Greetings to all during this season:

If you are rejoicing, we wish you the best that your traditions can bring.

If you are grieving, we wish you comfort and the promise we will extend a caring ear and journey with you.

If you are searching for a path back to stability, we offer you our hand and a commitment we will walk beside you.

If your future seems uncertain, we will hold out the candle of hope to help illuminate your path.

11/26/2025

We want to wish all a very happy and safe Thanksgiving Season. I am reminded that the candle of hope shines brightest during the darkest hours. May this light guide your way as we work together to chart a pathway out of the shadows. For those who are able, now is a perfect time to reach out to those neighbors around us who need additional support.

11/13/2025

I'm excited to see what will happen as this develops and spreads.

11/03/2025

💛 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝟭𝟬𝟬 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀

Because of the federal government shutdown, funding for programs supported by Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) has been suspended in Arkansas. As of October 31, our 100 Families offices and partnering organizations across Arkansas have lost funding for advocates and coordinators who walk alongside families every day to help them move from crisis to stability.

Restore Hope has stepped in to cover these costs through next week (November 7) in hopes that the government will reopen soon. After that date, we may not be able to continue operations without reimbursement or restored funding.

We know the incredible difference our community advocates make — helping parents find housing, jobs, childcare, and stability for their families. We remain hopeful that this is only a temporary interruption and are deeply grateful for every partner, advocate, and community member who continues to stand with families during this time.

Our mission remains the same: to see families thrive, together. 💛

10/27/2025

Now would be a good time to follow through on a contribution to your local food pantry to help our neighbors in need.

10/17/2025

Our friends at Blue Cross Blue Shield of NWA graciously provided space to meet in their beautiful community room. We had the pleasure of having a wonderful alliance meeting highlighted by the participation of our passionate, professional, and candid panelists. They shared many helpful insights, identified areas of needed growth, and painted a picture of changes that will make our mental health delivery and response systems work more efficiently and equitably. Thank you to our panelists:
Michelle Barrett
Sharon Ledbetter
Sarah Saragusa
Sgt. Steve Linton

09/18/2025

We had the pleasure of having Ann Book from Zero to Three, and Dogwood Literacy's Charlie Muessemeyer join us for our September Alliance Meeting. On this International Literacy Day, we learned about the vital role that enriching a family's literacy can have on creating stability and growth, not only for the children, but also for the relationships within the family. Ultimately, a strong family contributes to strengthening the entire community. Join us for our next Alliance Meeting in October!

09/16/2025

We are currently seeking to fill the following role with 100 Families. Do you know of someone who might be a good fit?

Restore Hope, Inc.

09/11/2025

I have had the privilege of participating in the Restore Hope Academy for 2025. Here are some of the sights and experiences.

09/09/2025

The saying asserts that knowledge is power. It is true. Ideas are the building blocks of knowledge and we strengthen and enrich them with interactions with the world around us. The most effective way to do so is through literacy. Come listen to our experts share the ways literacy can help families who are navigating from crisis, to stability, and onward to career, to reframe, restructure, and expand the horizons of their ideas and knowledge through literacy, from the “littles” to the “bigs.” We can all benefit from an infusion of powerful ideas as we read together!

08/22/2025

We had a wonderful panel of experts share their knowledge and experience with us on the struggles community members, providers, and systems face with helping those in recovery. Thankfully they also shared things we can do to help: Connect, reflect, engage. Thank you to Cory Crawford, James Dalton, Sophia Dugwyler, Chris Jones, Brittney Pember, and Crystal Wilson, and all those who participated.

08/18/2025

We look forward to seeing you this Thursday, August 21st to see how we can best help families who are navigating the challenges of recovery from substance use disorder. Our panelists are engaging, passionate, and knowledgeable. They would love to see you and answer your questions.