Karen and Darren Horton donate $1 million to Arkansas Children’s Northwest
by July 25, 2016 12:38 pm 447 views
Arkansas Children’s Hospital Northwest continues to draw financial support from the local community with another $1 million gift from grandparents Karen and Darren Horton of Benton County.
The Hortons became ACH supporters after their grandson Braydon Wiley received pediatric care after being born with a life-threatening heart condition. The baby spent 5 weeks in the pediatric intensive care unit in Little Rock, and today Braydon is a healthy 7 year old.
The family said when they heard there were 200,000 kids in the region who can benefit from having care closer to home at Arkansas Children’s Northwest they felt compelled to support the construction project.
“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, CEO at Premier Concepts in Bentonville, a third-party service provider for Walmart and other retailers, said the local children’s hospital will make a big difference for so many families.
The 233,613-square-foot hospital is under construction now in Springdale and scheduled to open in January 2018. Local support for the construction raised to date is more than $29.5 million. The total cost of this new speciality hospital is an estimated $165 million. The hospital foundation told Talk Business & Politics it will officially launch its capital campaign on Aug. 5 at the Color of Hope Gala in Rogers.
“The Horton Family has been long-time supporters of Arkansas Children’s Hospital,” said Fred Scarborough, president of Arkansas Children’s Hospital Foundation. “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.”