FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:‍

April 23, 2024

CONTACT: ‍

Rachael Slobodien‍

rachael@opportunityarkansas.org

‍

OPPORTUNITY ARKANSAS JOINS ‘EVERY CHILD ARKANSAS’ COALITION

CONWAY, AR — Today, Opportunity Arkansas announced it has joined Every Child Arkansas (ECA) as a supporting member organization.

Founded in 2022, Every Child Arkansas includes over 20 advocacy and resource organizations that share the common goal of ending the foster care crisis in Arkansas. As part of Governor Sarah Sanders’s foster care reform working group, ECA works to streamline the processes surrounding foster care, including providing policy recommendations. Currently, Every Child Arkansas is focused on recruiting and retaining foster families to ensure that there are more than enough homes for every child in foster care to be in a family.

As part of the ECA coalition, Opportunity Arkansas will deepen its expertise on child welfare policy by learning from on-the-ground stakeholders about the challenges facing families; amplifying foster care stories across the state to raise awareness; partnering with organizations that are providing community support to improve outcomes for children and families; and identifying and advocating for necessary policy changes to create a more efficient system.

Dr. Phil Goad, Chair of ECA’s Executive Leadership Council, offered the following remarks upon learning of Opportunity Arkansas’s announcement:

“We're thrilled to have Opportunity Arkansas join our efforts at Every Child Arkansas. It is an honor to bring such talented forces together as we work to improve foster care in Arkansas. There is much to be done, and together with this coalition, we can continue to implement transformative changes with such tremendous partnerships like the one we've forged with Opportunity Arkansas.”

Upon joining the Every Child Arkansas, Opportunity Arkansas Founder and CEO Nic Horton offered the following statement:

“The work Every Child Arkansas is committed to achieving will be life-changing for children across our state. Opportunity Arkansas is honored to join such an incredible group and work together for children in Arkansas. For far too long, our state has turned its back on the generational problem of broken families – every child deserves to be raised in a loving family home.

With the partnerships at Every Child Arkansas, real change is happening. By highlighting the problems and developing workable solutions, Every Child Arkansas is providing new opportunities and changing lives. We are proud to lock arms with them in support of the next generation.”

For meetings, bookings, or interviews, contact Rachael Slobodien via email at rachael@opportunityarkansas.org.

About Opportunity Arkansas Foundation

Opportunity Arkansas Foundation is an independent, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization on a mission to renew the Land of Opportunity by simplifying government and solving generational problems for the next generation. OA stands ready to partner with state policymakers who share these goals. To learn more, visit www.OpportunityArkansas.org.