Danyelle Musselman has joined the Board of Directors of New Beginnings, a Northwest Arkansas nonprofit dedicated to providing shelter to the area’s homeless population.
New Beginnings is a bridge housing community designed for unsheltered people who have experienced long-term homelessness in Northwest Arkansas. The complex is composed of 20 temporary shelters surrounding a shared building where kitchen, shower house and laundry facilities are located. Residents will share in the governance and maintenance of the community with the support of a team of volunteers and staff, including an onsite social worker. In this safe, supportive living environment residents can begin to care for their health and connect with housing. As residents successfully move into appropriate permanent housing, space opens for new unsheltered people to enter.
Danyelle Musselman is married to Arkansas Razorback men’s basketball coach Eric Musselman. She has an extensive background working in sports broadcasting with years of experience in anchoring, hosting and reporting. Most recently, Musselman worked for the NFL Network where she served as an update anchor and as the host of “Up to the Minute.” She is the co-chair of the Coaches vs Cancer Wives & Friends team, and serves as the market chair for the Make a Wish Foundation Mid-South Region.
“Throughout the last 18 months, Danyelle has seen, first-hand, the profound challenges of the unhoused population,” said Aaron J. Marshall, president of the New Beginnings Board of Directors. “It was clear from our first visit that she was genuinely affected by this community and wanted to use her time and talents to provide solutions for the most vulnerable in our community. We are ecstatic that she accepted our invitation to join our Board and contribute.
New Beginnings representatives say Musselman joins at an exciting time for the nonprofit, as residents are working with each other to create a community that is safe and supportive. People who were formerly unhoused long-term and accessed few support services, have begun to connect with health services and move out into more permanent housing.
“Our family is relatively new to the NWA community, and we had no idea that there was such a homeless issue here,” said Musselman. “Once I was made aware, I felt compelled to step up and spread the word. I’m excited for the opportunity to join the New Beginnings board and start making a difference.”
The 2020 Annual Homeless Assessment Report found that for “the fourth consecutive year, homelessness increased nationwide,” with 2020 marking, “the first time since data collection began that more individuals experiencing homelessness were unsheltered than were sheltered.”
The first lady of Arkansas Razorback men’s basketball is also scheduled to emcee the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute’s “Be a Part of the Cure” walk honoring Arkansas cancer patients this spring in Little Rock. The walk is set for 8 a.m., Saturday, April 30, at War Memorial Stadium and outdoor course and will honor cancer patients, cancer survivors and those who have lost their battle with cancer, as well as raise funds for research programs at the Cancer Institute.
“Like many of us, I have lost friends and family members to cancer,” said Musselman, who serves on the Cancer Institute’s board of advisors.
“Not one to sit on the bench, I’m lacing up my shoes and going on a walk to raise money to fight cancer of all kinds and help patients battling the disease right here in the Natural State.”
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