Impact Stories

from the desk of Emily Crane Linn, Resettlement Director It is incredible to realize that it has been a full year since we received the news that Northwest Arkansas would be recognized as an official refugee resettlement site through the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. I remember being awed at the time at how quickly everything…

President Trump has just announced that no more than 45,000 refugees will be admitted to the US this coming year.  That’s the lowest admissions number our country has seen in nearly 40 years. Since 1980, every president– Republican and Democrat alike– has maintained a ceiling of at least 67,000.  But today, in the midst of the…

Thanks to all of you who have given and to all those who attended the Refugee Benefit Dinner Saturday night, we have raised $18,400 toward our fall fundraising goal! That means that we only have $1,600 to go– but we only have until Sunday, October 1 to get there. If you haven’t given yet, would…

On October 1, Canopy will officially turn one year old! That’s amazing. We have done so much together as a community, in our first year, to bring Canopy to where it is today. Together, as a community we have: What a year it has been for us! As we look ahead to the coming year,…

Canopy NWA and AUCC will be meeting with Senator Tom Cotton’s office this month to ask him to remove his support of the RAISE Act. We would like to present him with a petition signed by Arkansans across the state to let him know his constituents do NOT agree with this proposed immigration bill that seeks to…

We at Canopy NWA and Arkansas United Community Coalition (AUCC) strongly oppose the RAISE Act, sponsored by one of our Arkansas senators, Tom Cotton. This proposed piece of legislation would hurt our region’s economic development, separate Arkansas families and close our doors to the world’s most vulnerable. It does not reflect our shared values as…

Day of Action: Raise Your Voice Against the RAISE Act This week, CRSA members met with the staff of Senator Tom Cotton to discuss his co-sponsorship of S. 354, the RAISE Act. This bill aims to cut legal forms of immigration in half over the next ten years. It will do this in multiple ways: We need you…

Last week, a big, beautiful Congolese family arrived in Northwest Arkansas. Their co-sponsors met them at the airport and brought them back to their cozy, furnished apartment. They showed them the meal they had prepared, the toys they had gathered and the chocolates they had left on their pillows. The family smiled and thanked them. They…

Mark Kessler is the Senior Director of Operations for Save the Children US and a former Walmart executive. He is a member of Canopy’s volunteer advocates team and serves on a co-sponsorship team as well. He drafted the following guest post on World Refugee Day, June 20.  Today, on World Refugee Day, I want to…

On Tuesday, June 20th, we want our Canopy community to join voices with millions worldwide in advocating for refugees. We need your help! The proposed budget makes cuts to the funding that refugee resettlement agencies receive, as well as funding that helps refugees abroad. CALL! We are encouraging everyone to CALL our elected officials to let…