Arkansas Children’s Hospital Auxiliary Donates $1.5 Million to Support Programs and Services at Arkansas Children’s Hospital Including COVID-19 Emergency Relief Efforts

(Little Rock, Ark.) June 26, 2020 – The Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) Auxiliary donated $1.5 million to Arkansas Children’s Hospital to support programs, research initiatives, and emergency and trauma support services, including the COVID-19 Emergency Fund.

“The ACH Auxiliary has provided support to Arkansas Children’s Hospital for more than 50 years,” said Aimee Shelby, 2019–2020 ACH Auxiliary president. “This year has been unprecedented and, although our spring fundraisers were cancelled or postponed due to COVID-19, small businesses, restaurants and the community helped us reach our fundraising goal. Now, more than ever, thank you to our donors, members and leadership for their incredible efforts to support the mission of making children better today and healthier tomorrow.”

Since 2011, the ACH Auxiliary has raised more than $1 million annually to support Arkansas Children’s Hospital.

“Arkansas Children’s Hospital Auxiliary has more than five decades of history supporting the children in our state,” said Fred Scarborough, president of Arkansas Children’s Foundation. “Because of their heroic work, incredible ability to fundraise and passionate volunteerism, the Auxiliary was able to seamlessly pivot during this global health crisis and deliver on their longstanding commitment to the more than 700,000 children in Arkansas.”

Founded in 1967, the ACH Auxiliary raises funds through annual initiatives, including the Holiday Card Project, Miracle Ball, Arkansas á la Carte, ACHievers, Playaway Gift Shop and the Race for a Healthier Tomorrow. The funds received by the ACH Auxiliary support programs and services, including child abuse and prevention services, emergency and trauma services, and the COVID-19 Emergency Fund.

With nearly 550 members, the ACH Auxiliary has championed children for 53 years in the pursuit of a healthier tomorrow for children of Arkansas and beyond. If you would like more information about the ACH Auxiliary or would like to become a member, please visit archildrens.org/auxiliary.

About Arkansas Children’s

Arkansas Children’s, Inc., is the only healthcare system in the state solely dedicated to caring for Arkansas’ 700,000 children. The private, non-profit organization includes two pediatric hospitals, a pediatric research institute and USDA nutrition center, a philanthropic foundation, a nursery alliance, statewide clinics, and many education and outreach programs—all focused on fulfilling a promise to define and deliver unprecedented child health. Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) is a 336-bed, Magnet-recognized facility in Little Rock operating the state’s only Level I pediatric trauma center; the state's only burn center; the state's only Level IV neonatal intensive care unit; the state's only pediatric intensive care unit; the state’s only pediatric surgery program with Level 1 verification from the American College of Surgeons (ACS); the state’s only magnetoencephalography (MEG) system for neurosurgical planning and cutting-edge research; and the state's only nationally recognized pediatric transport program. Additionally, ACH is nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report in four pediatric subspecialties (2020–2021): Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Nephrology, Pulmonology and Urology. ACH is one of only five hospitals in the nation that have achieved Magnet Status, ACS Level 1 verification and a Beacon Award from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. Arkansas Children’s Northwest (ACNW), the first and only pediatric hospital in the Northwest Arkansas region, opened in Springdale in early 2018. ACNW operates a 24-bed inpatient unit; a surgical unit with five operating rooms; outpatient clinics offering over 20 subspecialties; diagnostic services; imaging capabilities; occupational therapy services; and Northwest Arkansas' only pediatric emergency department, equipped with 30 exam rooms. Generous philanthropic and volunteer engagement has sustained Arkansas Children's since it began as an orphanage in 1912, and today ensures the system can fundamentally transform the health of children in Arkansas and beyond. To learn more, visit archildrens.org.

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