Whitaker Family Foundation Donates $5 Million to Arkansas Children’s Northwest Expansion

(SPRINGDALE, Arkansas) Oct. 24, 2024 | Arkansas Children’s is pleased to announce a transformational gift from the Whitaker Family Foundation. This generous $5 million donation is the latest expression of the family’s deep commitment to building a brighter future by supporting health care and education for children.

The Whitaker family's legacy of philanthropy in northwest Arkansas spans four generations, with each generation contributing to the vision that continues to shape the Whitaker Family Foundation today. In addition to their meaningful financial impact, the family is dedicated to raising awareness about medical and scientific research into causes and cures for chronic or serious medical conditions.

“We are deeply committed to serving children and families in northwest Arkansas, including my own family,” said Larry Whitaker, chairman of the Whitaker Family Foundation. “Some of my grandchildren have been patients at Arkansas Children’s Northwest (ACNW), and it is gratifying to know that philanthropic contributions helped bring ACNW to fruition, providing the 200,000 children living in this region convenient access to comprehensive pediatric medical care.”

Arkansas Children’s system-wide historic expansion will increase access to pediatric care, enhance exceptional outcomes for children and elevate patient experience at ACNW and Arkansas Children’s Hospital. The ACNW expansion, which kicked off in early 2024, will include added surgical space, more operating rooms, procedure rooms, hospital beds and additional clinic space.

“This generous gift has involved most of the Whitaker family as they continue to express their support of pediatric health care and research,” said Fred Scarborough, executive vice president and chief development officer at Arkansas Children's. “Thousands of children and families in northwest Arkansas and beyond have access to a wide range of pediatric care…from the routine to the extraordinary thanks to the generosity of the Whitaker Family Foundation. We are beyond grateful for their continued partnership and support.”

From its founding as an orphanage in 1912 to becoming a nationally acclaimed pediatric health care system, Arkansas Children's has remained steadfast in its commitment to being a champion for children. To learn more about the expansion, visit archildrens.org/expansion. To support Arkansas Children's growth, visit archildrens.org/donate or call 800-880-7491 today.

ABOUT ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S NORTHWEST

Arkansas Children’s Northwest (ACNW), the first and only pediatric hospital in the northwest Arkansas region, is a level IV pediatric trauma center. 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.

ABOUT ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S

Arkansas Children's is the only health care system in the state solely dedicated to caring for Arkansas' 850,000 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); and the state's only nationally recognized pediatric transport program. Arkansas Children’s is nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report in seven pediatric subspecialties (2024-2025): Cancer, Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Neonatal Care, Nephrology, Neurology & Neurosurgery, Orthopedics and Pulmonology & Lung Surgery. Arkansas Children’s Northwest (ACNW), the first and only pediatric hospital in the northwest Arkansas region, is a level IV pediatric trauma center. 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 deliver on its promise of unprecedented child health. To learn more, visit archildrens.org.