Children’s Shelter celebrates 25 years, Sara Evans headlines this weekend’s Starlight Gala

Bentonville-based nonprofit Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter will host its annual Starlight Gala fundraising event Saturday (March 3) at the John Q. Hammons Convention Center in Rogers, headlined by country music recording artist Sara Evans.

Each year the organization must raise 75% of its operating budget, and events like the Starlight Gala are a critical step toward that goal. The shelter’s capacity of 48 beds, a state-of-the-art complex, on-site school and on-site counseling services make it unique among children’s emergency shelters in Arkansas and the region.

“The Starlight Gala is a powerful event each year, but this year we will be marking a special milestone for the organization,” said Maury Peterson, executive director of the Children’s Shelter. “With 2018 comes our 25th anniversary serving children in Northwest Arkansas. We’re incredibly humbled by that, and we are grateful for the support of the generous Northwest Arkansas community as we live our mission to provide hope for the future to children who have been abandoned, abused or neglected.”

Since opening in 1993, the Children’s Shelter has cared for more than 9.000 children from across the state. It provides 24-hour emergency residential care to children who are victims of family violence, neglect and physical and sexual abuse.

For ticket information to the Starlight Gala, contact Raegin Callaway at 479-795-2417, ext. 310 or [email protected].