ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL
AUXILIARY 2 0 2 0 – 2 021 IM PACT R EPO RT For more than 50 years, your generous support has championed children by making them better today and healthier tomorrow.
KOEN, AGE 6
FROM LEF T TO RIGHT: LINDSE Y GR AY, AIMEE SHELBY, ANNE WALL ACE, ASHLE Y PARKER, ENID OLVE Y AND FRED SCARBOROUGH
YOUR IMPACT $ 1.15 MillionGIFTED TO
Thanks to your contributions of time, energy and talent, you continue to support the work of Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) and the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute (ACRI). For the 11th consecutive year, you gifted $1 million or more. These gifts funded child maltreatment programs at the David M. Clark Center for Safe and Healthy Children, propelled research at ACRI, and improved the patient and family experience by supporting programs like Comfort Foods, Good Mourning and Palliative Care.
ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL IN 2021
YOUR 2020–2021 GIFT SUPPORTS: David M. Clark Center for Safe and Healthy Children Master Campus Plan/Outdoor Spaces Arkansas Children‘s Research Institute Palliative Care Good Mourning Program Social Work Family Fund Ear, Nose and Throat
2 • ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL AUXILIARY: 2020–2021 IMPACT REPORT
764,100 $ 208,508 $ 60,092 $ 50,000 $ 35,000 $ 30,000 $ 2,300 $
450
MEMBERS ENGAGED
11 , 55
VOLUNTEER HOURS
2020–2021 OUR WORK TOGETHER YEAR IN REVIEW
à la Carte
ACHiever Program
Holiday Card Project
Under Chair CeCe Martindale's leadership and with Presenting Sponsor Slim Chickens, the Holiday Card Project raised $47,000 and showcased the artwork of 12 past and present patients on beautiful and unique holiday cards and gift items. For 53 years, this annual project has been possible because of the many volunteers who help fulfill orders. Thank you!
Miracle Ball
Thanks to you, 29 girls and 10 boys participated in this year's virtual ACHiever Program for ninth-grade students. They had several volunteer opportunities and enjoyed sessions led by a pediatric nurse practitioner, the Angel One Transport team and the Injury Prevention Center. In addition, six scholarships were provided by generous donors.
New Garden Plaza
Playaway Gift Shop
Race for a Healthier Tomorrow
Social Work Funding
Under the leadership of Chair Angie Johnson, à la Carte sponsorships totaled $71,500, and we celebrated a net total raised of $105,000! Thanks to the participation of more than 50 restaurants and beverage locations, the inaugural Taste and Toast Our Town Restaurant Week was a huge success.
Because of your generous support to cultivate discovery and delight, the outdoor spaces on the ACH campus are more inviting than ever before. After completing the dining terrace in 2019, the new garden plaza was added in 2021, offering a place of rest for patients, families and staff near the main hospital entrance.
In October, the full-service Playaway Gift Shop returned to in-person operations, serving ACH patients, families and staff. In addition, sales on the e-commerce site continue to grow, and new flooring was installed throughout the store in May. A new popular offering this year is Bundt Cake Thursdays. Every Thursday, 200 Nothing Bundt Cakes sell out!
The 2nd annual Race for a Healthier Tomorrow, chaired by Kristen Saffa, was held virtually in November. For the first time, the race was open to participants across the state and beyond. Together, we raised $70,000 to help create a healthier tomorrow for children.
More than 100 households tuned in to the first-ever virtual Miracle Ball! Chaired by Aimee and Michael Shelby, the event raised $885,000, directly benefiting children and families like those served at the David M. Clark Center for Safe and Healthy Children. The shift to a virtual event would not have been possible without your generous support and passion for child health.
Even though Comfort Foods was canceled this year, our funds helped provide sweet treats and occasional catered meals to the Family Houses and monthly catered meals to those participating in the Caregiver Meal Program. In addition, our funds helped purchase items like ACH fleece blankets and toiletries for comfort bags provided to newly admitted patients.
Thank you for everything you do to support Arkansas Children's mission. ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL AUXILIARY: 2020–2021 IMPACT REPORT • 3
A Special Thanks to Our à la Carte, Holiday Card Project, Miracle Ball and Race for a Healthier Tomorrow Sponsors PRESENTING SPONSORS
PREMIER SPONSORS
Bank of England Compass One Healthcare Mr. and Mrs. Steve Davison The Middleton Family Saracen Casino Resort Aimee and Michael Shelby Alan and Boots Warrick
4 • ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL AUXILIARY: 2020–2021 IMPACT REPORT
Sponsors & Leadership 2020–2021 AUXILIARY BOARD OF DIRECTORS President First Vice President Second Vice President Treasurer Recording Secretary Corresponding Secretary Historian/Public Relations
Anne Wallace Ashley Parker Aimee Shelby Lindsey Gray Mary-Margaret Marks Jennifer Schueck Tish DeLozier
P R OJ E CT C H A I R S à la Carte Chair à la Carte Chair-Elect à la Carte Silent Auction Chair ACHiever Program – Boy Chair ACHiever Program – Boy Chair-Elect ACHiever Program – Girl Chair ACHiever Program – Girl Chair-Elect Comfort Foods Chair Holiday Cards Chair Holiday Cards Chair-Elect Hospitality Chair JLLR Boardwalk Membership Chair Membership Chair-Elect Miracle Ball Chair Miracle Ball Silent Auction Chair Playaway Gift Shop Chair Playaway Gift Shop Chair-Elect Public Relations Chair-Elect Race for a Healthier Tomorrow Chair Race for a Healthier Tomorrow Chair-Elect Volunteer Chair Volunteer Chair-Elect
Angie Johnson Frances Mitchell Heather Allmendinger Kimberly Bowman Emily Stein Sharon Denery Stacy Grobmyer Sue Frank CeCe Martindale Brooke Hicks Sara Beth Hughes Jennifer Goss Sabrina Lewellen Carrie Covert Aimee Shelby Lindsey Gray Kristen Saffa Neal Lea Josie Staggs Kristen Saffa Neal Lea Merry Klein Abby Holsclaw
S U P P O R T S TA F F Fred Scarborough, CFRE, President, Arkansas Children’s Foundation Enid Olvey, CFRE, Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Arkansas Children’s Foundation Vanessa Delgadillo, CFRE, Executive Director of Philanthropy, Arkansas Children’s Foundation Erica Phillips, CFRE, CAVS, Executive Director of Volunteer Engagement, Arkansas Children’s Hospital Jessica Rivera-Hudson, Development Officer, Auxiliary Manager, Arkansas Children’s Foundation Paula Parke, Playaway Gift Shop Manager, Arkansas Children’s Hospital
ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL AUXILIARY: 2020–2021 IMPACT REPORT • 5
THRIVING: Koen’s Life Without Food Because of you, Northeast Arkansas boy receives expert pediatric care at Arkansas Children’s BY KYRAN PITTMAN
F
or most people, living without food would be simply unimaginable, but for 6-year-old Koen Smith, it’s everyday life. Koen was a thriving, healthy, breastfed baby; but that all changed the day his parents, Kirby and Chance, introduced food into his diet around 5 months old. “When we began feeding Koen rice cereal, he began to get sick…very sick…and things went downhill pre y quickly,” recalls his mom, Kirby. “Most people told us he’s just spi ing up or that it’s probably a li le stomach bug, but I knew it was more than that. He was throwing up numerous times every day, some days 10 to 15 times.” When Koen was 9 months old, the Smith family drove from their home in Bono, near Jonesboro, to Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) in Li le Rock. “A er months of testing and treatments and not finding any answers, things finally started to turn around once we got to ACH,” Kirby says. “Koen was hospitalized a few times for dehydration and failure to thrive,” Kirby says. “They did pre y much every test you can possibly imagine.” Then, right before Koen’s first birthday, the family was given a diagnosis: eosinophilic esophagitis. Kirby says, “It was a relief to finally have a diagnosis, even though it was not something we wanted to hear.”
KOEN SMITH AGE 6 BONO 6 • ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL AUXILIARY: 2020–2021 IMPACT REPORT
Also known as EoE, eosinophilic esophagitis is a chronic, allergic, inflammatory disease that affects the swallowing tube—the esophagus. According to the American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders, one in 2,000 babies are born with the disease. The vast majority of kids who suffer from EoE generally have reactions to between one and five foods, but not Koen—he failed every single food trial. That meant that Koen could not safely eat any foods, so he was placed on an all-formula diet. At the age of 3½, Koen again underwent more food trials. Unfortunately, they once again were unable to find any safe foods for him to eat. “People ask how he manages a life without food,” Kirby says, “but I always tell them, ‘you can’t miss something you’ve never had.’” One of Kirby’s favorite quotes is, “the only disability in life is a bad a itude,” and she says her son has the BEST disposition for this disease. “Koen loves food,” says Kirby. “He loves to cook it, to smell it and to feed others. He truly enjoys food, just in a different way than most.” Now in kindergarten, Koen happily sits at lunch cha ing with his friends, drinking his special formula. Everyone finds it to be normal, his mom explains. Before his 6th birthday, Koen told his parents all he wanted was a birthday cake. When Koen saw the tears in his mom’s eyes, he said, “Don’t worry, Mommy, I just want all my friends to have cake and I want to blow out the candles.” Kirby says, “When everyone sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to him, you’ve never seen such a BIG smile on a kid’s face.” Today, Koen has started a new medication that his family and doctors hope will help, and while they haven’t seen success thus far, Kirby says, “We have so much faith in Arkansas Children’s, and his doctors are so, so hopeful that one day they will find a safe food! We are thankful for the entire team at Arkansas Children’s for continuing to fight for our son, while giving us all hope and peace of mind that Koen is receiving the best care possible.”
You give children like Koen a healthier tomorrow.
Thank you for your generous support. ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL AUXILIARY: 2020–2021 IMPACT REPORT • 7
thank you!
Because of you, children like Koen are better today and will be healthier tomorrow.
ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION 1 Children’s Way, Slot 661 • Little Rock, AR 72202 • 501-364-1476 GIVING.ARCHILDRENS.ORG