OMNI Blog

September 10 @ 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM The Botanical Garden of the Ozarks will host its 7th annual International Festival on Sunday, September 10 from 3:00 to 7:00 pm. This festival is a celebration of all of the cultures that make up the Northwest Arkansas community! Enjoy cultural and traditional dance and musical performances on the Great Lawn. Be transported around the world through food from various food trucks and vendors. Visit booths throughout the Garden featuring arts and crafts, displays, and cultural items for sale. Talk to experts on resources for immigrants, refugees, and other marginalized communities. And so much more! This […]

Fri Sept 8 – Jones Center and various locations at the link Full Schedule here Welcoming Week NWA kicks off Friday, Sept. 8 with multiple speaker panels, volunteer drives and other family-friendly events highlighting the significance of accessibility, LGBTQ+ identity, immigration and more in making NWA a thriving and inclusive place to live and work. WELCOMING WEEK NWA KICKOFF EVENT Friday, Sept. 8, 9 to 11 a.m., The Jones Center 922 E. Emma Ave., Springdale Keynote speaker will be Victor Calise, Walmart director of global belonging, diversity, equity and inclusion and a longtime public servant, Paralympian and advocate for adapting […]

A Foundation to Build on: Community First Village, Austin TX Haven’t posted a Community First video for awhile. Here’s a very nice one about Brandon, that give the feel of a place where a resident feels safe and welcome. That’s what community really is, of course! Hope you enjoy it. Please share it if you can. It’ll make future conversations about homeless people easier.

When you watch the news it sounds like crisis is everywhere. And lord help those who are stuck on Fox News. The barrage of fear must be overwhelming. Here’s a suggestion: start watching for stories about solutions and your media algorithms will improve. There’s are things going on in the world to be hopeful about. A huge problem for American culture is the fragmentation and isolation among so many of us. Social media, that was intended to bridge those connections, does more to sow confusion and build barriers. Those barriers are a big part of the reason we’ve lost touch […]

Is it ok to look at a homeless person? Seeing homeless people on the street is just uncomfortable. Feelings just come up when you see someone so desperate like that. Who are they? Why are they in this state? Will it embarrass them if I look at them? Are they dangerous? This sweet video opens up the conversation with some of the reality for the person on the street. Hope you enjoy it. Please share it if you can. It’ll make future conversations about homeless people easier. Why Eye Contact With Homeless People Matters

Vermont in July and Hawaii in August. It’s clear to all but the most resistant that when it comes to climate, we’re not in Kansas anymore. Climate change is real, and resistance to the idea is futile. Even though Northwest Arkansas hasn’t felt the worst effects we see it all around us. Tornadoes have hit in every part of our state, rain by the barrel comes regularly, we’ve had 2 killer arctic vortexes in the past 3 years and right now we’re sweltering in a heat dome. But the disturbing insistence by some of our “leaders” that it’s not real […]