NewsMakers : July 17 2011

Bethlehem House Christian Transitional Shelter has announced three editions to the Board of Directors. Michael Bynum joined the board in April of 2011 and he is currently the Conway Market President for Delta Trust and Bank. 

Bynum said he was lead to join the board because, “I knew the shelter was a great non-profit organization helping homeless individuals and families get back on their feet. My sister, Melinda Bynum, was an Evening Program Supervisor and lived on site while she attended UCA in 1998. I already knew I wanted to serve with Bethlehem House and help our community.” 

Bynum has served with several other non-profit and civic organizations including Conway and West Little Rock Rotary Clubs, Committee for the Future at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the Board of Habitat for Humanity in Faulkner County and the Advisory Board for Family Service Agency Consumer Credit Counseling. 

Bynum said he will be helping, “grow the number of fund raiser events and support our board goals. Bethlehem House’s programs help support homeless adults and children in Conway as well as in all of Faulkner County. There are over 200 homeless individuals in Faulkner County.” 

Bynum said a new building is desperately needed due to the fact that the current facility is over 100 years old, in bad shape, and too small. The shelter is renting other properties just to meet current needs. The new building will provide precious space to meet the growing need to serve more residents and keep all of the staff under one roof.

Kay Satterwhite has joined the Board of Directors for Bethlehem House, Conway’s only homeless shelter. Satterwhite is a lifelong Conway resident, and a wife and mother of two sons. She is also a member of Second Baptist Church, and a current member of the Faulkner County Leadership Institute, class of 2011. 

Satterwhite became involved with helping the homeless through the efforts of her family. She said,” My parents owned and operated a restaurant here in Conway for 35 years. Whenever they would see a need within the community they filled it. On several occasions they would lend a hand to people who just needed a meal, a place to sleep, or temporary employment until they could make it on to their destination. Many of them chose to live and work in Conway as a result of their generosity. These experiences have shown me how generosity and compassion towards others can have a positive impact on the lives of individuals, and the community as a whole.” 

Satterwhite’s efforts to help the homeless through Bethlehem House, Conway’s Christian Transitional Shelter, began in 2008. 

She said,” my son Taylor worked for Americorp Inc. and was sent to work within the Bethlehem shelter. Through his experiences, I learned a lot about this organization’s mission and was struck by the overwhelming need in the community for the services provided by our homeless shelter. What I like most about the House’s programs is that they offer assistance to individuals and families who need it within an atmosphere that encourages self-confidence, education, and life-skills. The programs provide multiple opportunities for people to have a warm meal, a place to sleep, laundry and showering facilities. These programs give them a sense of dignity, security and stability which provides them a positive framework to build their lives around in the future. It is a faith based program designed to meet the needs of people within the community.” 

As part of her plans serving on the Board, Satterwhite wants to help meet the need for a new facility. The current facility is in disrepair and today cannot meet the present needs of people within our community for housing. Satterwhite said, “The age and condition of the building is beyond repair. Fortunately, funds are currently being raised to serve those purposes (by building a new, larger, updated facility). I plan to make the community more aware of the needs and goals of the Bethlehem House in order to enlist greater support from the public.” 

Land has been bought and paid for the location of a new facility at 1 Parkway next to the railroad tracks in Conway and a Capital Campaign is in progress to gather funds.

Also joining the Board of Directors for Bethlehem House is Lesta Eberhard. Eleven years ago, she was introduced to the homeless shelter by, “a neighbor who was on the Board of Directors and told me what a good cause it is. I started as a volunteer, then became a Board member, then employee, and now Board member again.” 

Eberhard has an accounting background, but said what helps her most is having run a home for many years. She said, “Bethlehem House is a big home for a large group of diverse people. I like the classes available for issues that the clients need to work on. I also appreciate the guidance given to the residents by the case workers.” 

The major change in sight for the shelter is a newer facility. Eberhard said, “Our building is almost 100 years old and continually needs updating to make it safe and usable. I feel that it is time for us to move into a newer facility. Many people in Faulkner County don’t realize how many homeless people live around us. After meeting clients at the shelter, often nice people who have lost a job or had big health bills, I can spot the homeless on the street. It has made me much more aware of the need for our community to help those who just need a temporary place, some wise counsel, and a new job.”