AACF to celebrate 40 years, honor 10 founding members

Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families will host the 40^th Anniversary Gala from 6-9 p.m. Oct. 12 at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. The event will include a celebration of the organization, its work, and the founders who established it.

Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, founded in 1977, works to ensure all children and their families have the resources and opportunities to lead healthy and productive lives and to realize their full potential, according to the organization’s website. In 1983, the organization’s research into juvenile court hearings led to an overhaul of the state’s juvenile justice system, and in 1997, the organization led the effort to create ARKids First, which provides children’s health insurance to working families.

This will be AACF’s first evening gala, and it will be hosted in the Wally Allen Ballroom of the Statehouse Convention Center. The event will honor the following 10 founding members and their families:

• Betty Bumpers
• Hillary Rodham Clinton
• Mary Sue Jacobs
• Pat Lile
• Jim Miles
• Dorothy Nayles
• Judge Olly Neal
• Bettye Caldwell (1924-2016)
• Betty Ann Lowe (1934-2013)
• Sharon Pallone (1939-2009)

The event sponsor is Arkansas Children’s Hospital, and KTHV television personality Craig O’Neill will be the emcee.