More than 15,000 young people age out of the U.S. foster care system every year, often without stable housing, financial resources or relational support. Many have experienced abuse, neglect, mental health challenges and prolonged instability, making the transition to adulthood especially difficult.
Supporting Youth Aging Out of Foster Care
Eric and Kara (Howe) Gilmore have witnessed these challenges firsthand. Their shared passion for children and families affected by the foster care system led them to launch Immerse Arkansas, a nonprofit ministry in Little Rock, Arkansas, dedicated to supporting youth who are in foster care or have aged out of the system.
Eric graduated from Cedarville University in 2003 with a degree in international studies and later earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of Arkansas. At Cedarville, he met Kara, who graduated in 2004 with a degree in social work. The couple devoted themselves to full-time ministry in 2008, and they’ve served more than 500 young people annually since Immerse Arkansas’ inception in 2010.
Providing Trauma Counseling, Housing and Life Skills for Youth
Focused on youth between 14 and 24 years of age, the ministry provides short-term housing, counseling for trauma, abuse and mental health challenges and a transitional living program that equips residents for independent adulthood.
“The goal is to see each of these young people stand up and proclaim the identity of an overcomer — somebody who is fully alive,” said Eric. “They are healing, working and disrupting generational cycles of trauma and poverty. We want to see them embrace their true identity — who God made them to be.”
The Story Behind the Founding of Immerse Arkansas
The vision for Immerse Arkansas began when the Gilmores met a teenager named Meagan while serving as her house parents. For roughly six months, they walked alongside her during a season in which she lived in more than 50 placements across group homes, hospitals and other temporary settings. On the day before her 18th birthday, Meagan’s caseworker bought her a one-way bus ticket to reunite with relatives she had not seen in six years. The Gilmores watched as she boarded the bus alone with a single bag of clothes and one night’s supply of her bipolar medication.
“As we waved goodbye at the bus station, the questions going through our minds were uncomfortable,” said Eric. “We kept asking, ‘Where is the church?’ But the answer came back to us: ‘You are the church. Why don’t you do something?’ That moment grabbed our hearts and our attention and wouldn’t let go.”
A Second Chance: How Immerse Arkansas Changes Lives
Years later, that moment echoes in the lives of young people like Ziporah, a 21-year-old single mother who entered Immerse while experiencing homelessness with her young son.
She joined LifeBASE Care, a transitional program at Immerse for pregnant or parenting young adults where she received housing, trauma-informed counseling, life-skills training and coaching.
“I was depressed. I felt like I didn’t have anybody,” Ziporah said. “Immerse gave me a second chance.”
With encouragement from staff, Ziporah launched a catering business, enrolled in culinary school and moved into a stable home with her son — all within a year. Her company, Porah’s Kitchen, is now in operation.
“Everybody needs to be helped. I found Immerse Arkansas, and they helped me,” she said. “Now it’s my time to keep motivating and helping people.”
The Long-Term Vision for Foster Youth Support in Arkansas
The long-term vision of Immerse Arkansas is to expand shelters and support programs across the state, ensuring young people and families can access help close to home.
“We are focused on the state of Arkansas,” said Eric. “We want to see Arkansas go from a wilderness experience in the foster care system to having a reliable pathway to healing available for every youth in crisis from around our state. At a broad level, that means building the support that these people and families need to succeed. Practically, it comes down to helping one young person at a time experience healing and transformation.”
To learn more about Immerse Arkansas, visit immersearkansas.org.
About Cedarville University
Cedarville University, an evangelical Christian institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate residential and online programs across arts, sciences and professional fields. With 7,265 students, it is among Ohio's largest private universities and is ranked among the nation’s top five evangelical universities in the Wall Street Journal’s 2026 Best Colleges in the U.S. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at cedarville.edu.
