A Shelter From Life's Storms

This nonprofit has helped support its neighbors in crisis for more than 35 years. Learn how it answered the call to serve the larger community when a natural disaster struck.

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / April 12, 2024 / Regions Bank

Foto: Accesswire

By Kim Borges

An EF-3 tornado ripped a path of destruction and despair six football fields wide across Little Rock, Arkansas, last March 31.

The compassion and support that followed the devastation stretched even wider.

One year later, we're sharing perspective from a Little Rock nonprofit leader whose team immediately sprang into action to help people and families in their greatest time of need. It's what Our House does - not only when natural disaster strikes, but every day. Learn more about this Regions Bank and Regions Foundation community partner.

"It's a universal thing; everyone needs support at some point in their lives."

Ben Goodwin knows. At age 10, his family home burned down. And, in 2009, Goodwin and his wife faced the crisis of their newborn daughter needing significant medical care, bringing their family to Little Rock, and subsequently bringing him to Our House.

"I needed flexible work because we spent a lot of time at the hospital," he explained. "I had volunteered at Our House before joining the team as a part-time grant writer. I knew the mission, loved the mission - but the hard time I was going through helped the mission resonate even more for me."

While Goodwin's trials have offered him greater understanding and empathy, the now-executive director of Our House, which provides housing assistance, career services, child education programs and more, is the first to say the personal challenges by no means compare to the challenges their clients face.

"In most cases, the families we serve don't have a deep and strong safety net," he said. "We want to be that support network for people when they need it. We work really hard to help them build a cushion to weather the storms in their lives."

Meaning, when the actual storm came, Goodwin and team were ready.

"We're always mobilized for things like this," he said. "It felt like a dramatic example of the types of things we deal with every day. We're in the business of helping people who don't have homes."

The Regions Foundation, a nonprofit primarily funded by Regions Bank, provided a $10,000 grant to Our House last April to assist with shelter and childcare services for people impacted by the tornado. Regions Bank in Little Rock recently contributed $5,000 to assist with Our House's operational support and team members also teach financial education classes to the organization's career center clients.