MISSION:
Immerse is working to disrupt generational trauma and poverty afflicting Arkansas’ most vulnerable youth and to make Arkansas the best state in the country to be a youth in foster care or aging out of it. Through relationship-based coaching, therapy, short-term housing, life skills classes, mentorship, educational and employment supports, and transformational recreational experiences, Immerse offers youth a broad, reliable pathway to healing and tools that equip young people 14-24 to overcome crisis and enter adulthood resilient and ready for life. This proven approach is affirmed based on outcomes in the lives of youth served: their well-being and healthy connection to a caring adult; whether they’ve exited to safe, stable housing; and their increased earning potential, gained through Immerse programs. Immerse’s flagship Little Rock campus is home to The Station, Arkansas’ first emergency shelter for young adults 18 to 24. Immerse Conway launched in 2023; a northwest Arkansas expansion is planned for 2026.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
- Provide/serve meals at The OC Youth Center or The Station.
- Help youth with homework.
- Host a driver’s license study group.
- Donate pantry items or snack packs.
There are many ways to serve, and the schedule is flexible. To find your fit, visit immersearkansas.org/volunteering.
GIVING OPPORTUNITIES:
- One day at The OC ($2,700): Help meet immediate needs for youth from crisis including meals, shower/laundry facilities and the opportunity to engage with staff coaches and therapists.
- Furnish a LifeBASE room ($1,800): Make a private room in our LifeBASE housing feel like home with furniture and accessories for a youth who engages for 18-24 months with LifeBASE programming.
- One night at The Station for one young person ($175): Provide safe emergency shelter for a young adult aged 18-24 in our trauma-informed, dorm-style space.
FUNDING SOURCES:
- Individual Donors: 38%
- Foundation Grants: 36%
- Government Grants: 18%
- Businesses: 7%
- Churches: 1%
5300 Asher Ave., Little Rock, AR 72204
708 S. Baridon St., Conway, AR 72034
106 Parkwood St., Lowell, AR 72745
501.404.9890 | immersearkansas.org | Facebook | Instagram
Established: 2010
Employees: 70+
Service Area: Arkansas
Founder & CEO: Eric Gilmore
Board of Directors:
Jimmy Alessi
Christopher “Bo” Boschetti
Robert Cook
Kile Graves
Steve Lane
Chris Larsen, M.D.
Hanna Manning
Tanner Mezel
Rebecca Mills, DRPH
Charlie Simpson, LPC, LMFT
Robbi Riggs Watson
Stephanie Wilcox
Dan Williams
The 2026/2027 Arkansas Giving Guide is presented by Wright Lindsey Jennings. Click here to read a letter from our sponsors.