Hortons Donate $1 Million to Arkansas Childrens Northwest
by July 25, 2016 4:30 pm 340 views
Benton County businessman Darren Horton is redoubling his support of the Arkansas Children’s Hospital campus in Springdale.
Horton and his wife, Karen, have donated $1 million to the construction of Arkansas Children’s Northwest, according to an ACH news release.
The Horton’s grandson, Brayden Wiley, spent five weeks in the pediatric intensive care unit of ACH, according to the release.
Wiley was born with a life-threatening heart condition, and was flown by Angel One helicopter to the Little Rock hospital.
Today, Wiley is 7 years old and healthy.
“When a place like Arkansas Children’s Hospital treats you so well in such a dire situation, you can’t help but love them back,” Karen Horton said. “We want to make the burden of having a child in the hospital easier on other parents and grandparents. We’ve been blessed, so it’s our responsibility to give back to others.”
Darren Horton is owner and CEO of Premier Concepts LLC, which provides nationwide sales, analytics and merchandising services to the vendor community in Northwest Arkansas. The company also has donated $1 million to the construction project, to be distributed over the next five years.
The Hortons also own Horton Farms at Dry Creek, an event and retreat center located 10 miles west of Bentonville.
“When we heard that there are 200,000 kids in the region who will benefit from having care close to home at Arkansas Children’s Northwest, we realized this was something we wanted to support,” Darren Horton said in the release. “This local children’s hospital will make a big difference for so many families. We hope our participation will inspire others to join the efforts to get this hospital built.”
To date, the Arkansas Children’s Northwest campus has received an announced total of $29.5 million in pledged support from businesses and families in Northwest Arkansas.
ACH is building a 233,613-SF hospital campus on 37 acres across the street from Arvest Ballpark in Springdale.
The hospital is scheduled to open in January 2018. It will include 24 inpatient beds, 30 emergency department rooms, five operating rooms and 30 clinic rooms. The campus will also include walking trails, gardens and a helipad and refueling station.
The general contractor for the construction project is Nabholz Construction Corp. of Conway. FKP Architects of Houston, Texas, and Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects of Little Rock/Fayetteville are leading the design.
“The Horton Family has been long-time supporters of Arkansas Children’s Hospital,” Fred Scarborough, president of Arkansas Children’s Hospital Foundation, said in the release. “This act of generosity is a testament to the Horton’s care and concern for children. We are grateful for their continued support and are thankful they are part of the caring community that is working to build care close to home for children in the region.”