JAN 6 2022 Saw Wah, a new neighbor who arrived in 2020, recently celebrated his one-year anniversary of becoming a resident of Northwest Arkansas. We had the honor of hearing about his life experience as well as his perspective and goals just one day shy of his one-year celebration. Throughout our discussion, he recalled bits…
Read MoreCanopy’s Fifth Year of Welcome
DEC 21 2021 This December marks the five year milestone of Canopy’s first three refugee families resettled in Northwest Arkansas. This December, these families are eligible to apply for U.S. Citizenship. While we pause to celebrate this tremendous milestone, we also acknowledge that the start of Canopy’s fifth year looks very different from the previous…
Read MoreTogether in 2020.
DEC 21 2021 By Joanna Krause, Executive Director This year, we accomplished so much as a welcoming community. Together in 2020, we: Welcomed 23 refugees to Arkansas! Delivered 324 boxes of food, in partnership with the Outback Pantry, Seeds that Feed and UAMS. Held our first Plan It! Entrepreneurship training. 7 clients graduated this 12-week…
Read MoreA Local Entrepreneur’s Journey
DEC 9 2021 We had the honor of talking with Eca, a new neighbor who has worked hard to plan and build a business here in Northwest Arkansas. He spoke with us about his story, some of the challenges he has faced, and what keeps him motivated to continue through the hard times. Eca’s Story…
Read MoreA Warm Welcome from the Neighbor Next-Door
NOV 21 2021 James and Celi Birke, a brother and sister Canopy housing team, started their journey with a deep connection to a home and a desire to provide a warm welcome where it was needed – little did they know they would make dear friends and be welcomed, themselves, in the process. We had…
Read MoreSupport to Thrive: The Work of a Canopy Case Aide
NOV 10 2021 The Canopy team is deeply honored to welcome our new neighbors and offer assistance as they overcome various barriers and build new lives for themselves and their families in our community. Our incredible Canopy Case Aide, Malath, shared with us about the ways she and her team come alongside those who are…
Read MoreCanopy’s Legal Services: Lemine’s Impact
OCT 22 2021 Lemine, one of our amazing Case Managers who also manages Canopy’s Legal Services, shared an overview of the support services that he and his team provide for individuals and families in our community. Canopy offers a limited amount of legal services, most of which are focused on newly arriving neighbors who have…
Read MoreCanopy’s Creative Community: Fundraiser Stories
SEP 30 2021 We cannot thank our community enough for the ways we have seen so many come together in the most creative and innovative ways to fundraise on behalf of our new neighbors and the work Canopy is doing to provide a smooth and safe transition to NWA. We have seen some AMAZING events…
Read MoreHeri: A Story of Grief and Great Hope
AUG 2 2021 Heri is a Canopy summer intern, a 21-year-old college student, and the first-born child of a family who resettled in Northwest Arkansas in 2018. We got the opportunity to interview him as he shared pieces of his story with us about his experience with Canopy and about the journey that brought him…
Read MoreThe Crisis in Afghanistan— and how NWA can help.
AUG 18 2021 The Situation: Afghans are in crisis. As violence in Afghanistan continues to escalate further with every passing day, tens of thousands of people are at risk- the majority of whom are women and children. Afghans who supported the United States are also in a dire situation, with more than 20,000 waiting to…
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