About the Project
Client: Welcoming Week NWA (Presented by EngageNWA)
Industry: Regional Cultural Initiative / Community Engagement
Website: welcomingweeknwa.org
Project Overview
Developed a dynamic, event-focused website for Welcoming Week NWA, a flagship annual initiative celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2024. The site serves as the central hub for Northwest Arkansas’s largest regional celebration of diversity, inclusion, and community belonging—featuring 60+ partner organizations and 85+ events throughout September each year.
Key Features Implemented
- Annual Focus Messaging: Clear presentation of each year’s unique theme and priorities (2025: service, leadership, curiosity, and belonging tied to LEARNS Act community service requirements)
- Mission Statement: Compelling description of how regional organizations bring together “neighbors of all backgrounds to build strong connections and affirm the importance of welcoming and inclusive places”
- Event Information Architecture: Platform to showcase the month-long series of family-friendly events including speaker panels, volunteer opportunities, and cultural celebrations
- Community Resource Connection: 2025 strategic pivot to support high school students and families navigating the new 75-hour community service graduation requirement
- Partnership Recognition: Infrastructure to highlight dozens of community partners, major sponsors (Walton Family Foundation, Tyson Foods, Walmart, Arvest Foundation, etc.)
- Multi-Venue Calendar: Information about events across high schools, libraries, community centers throughout NWA cities (Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale, Fayetteville)
- Cultural Programming Showcase: Platform for diverse events from Marshallese cultural training to keynote speakers on curiosity and connection
Target Audience
Primary: Northwest Arkansas residents of all backgrounds interested in cultural celebration and community connection
Secondary: High school students and families (especially post-2025) seeking community service opportunities
Tertiary: Community organizations, businesses, and civic leaders wanting to participate as partners or sponsors
Strategic Context
Welcoming Week NWA addresses Northwest Arkansas’s rapid demographic transformation. Originally launched in 2012 by Welcoming America as a national initiative, the NWA version has grown significantly since its local founding. The region’s explosive growth and increasing diversity create both opportunity and tension—Welcoming Week provides structured, positive experiences for building cross-cultural understanding and economic inclusion. As Executive Director Margot Lemaster noted, “diverse communities perform better economically,” making inclusion not just a moral imperative but an economic strategy.
Evolution & Innovation
The 2025 focus represents strategic evolution: connecting the celebration of diversity to practical needs (LEARNS Act service requirements) ensures sustained relevance and youth engagement. By positioning community service locations as opportunities to experience diverse cultures and build belonging, Welcoming Week becomes both celebration and practical resource—embedding inclusion work into everyday civic participation for the next generation.
Project Outcome
The website successfully positions Welcoming Week NWA as the region’s premier annual celebration of diversity and inclusion—a month-long series of accessible, engaging experiences that make abstract values concrete. The clean event-focused design helps residents quickly understand what’s happening, when, and how to participate. The prominent sponsor recognition (major regional employers and foundations) demonstrates broad institutional support while the diverse partner list (from cultural organizations to school districts) shows genuine community buy-in.
By clearly articulating each year’s focus, the site allows the initiative to evolve while maintaining core identity. The 2025 pivot to supporting students with service requirements demonstrates how inclusion work can be integrated into existing community infrastructure rather than remaining siloed as a separate “diversity” initiative.
The site serves multiple audiences simultaneously: residents looking for fun cultural experiences, students needing service hours, organizations wanting partnership opportunities, and sponsors seeking impact reporting—all unified around the shared goal of building a more welcoming, prosperous Northwest Arkansas.