SPRINGDALE -- Around 200 people stood quietly Wednesday, all eyes on a steel beam the length of a semitrailer as a crane gently lifted it to the highest point of the metal skeleton that will soon be Arkansas Children's Northwest.
A moment passed. Then Evan Lee, a 7-year-old who has been treated for spina bifida at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock since birth, called out over a speaker, "The beam is now in." The crowd cheered, clapped and whistled.
Arkansas Children’s Northwest donation
Anyone interested in donating to the new children’s hospital can do so in several ways:
Online:
By phone or in person:
• Arkansas Children’s Hospital Foundation office, 4093 W. Sunset Ave., Suite 102, in Springdale; 479-725-0404.
Source: Staff report
Arkansas Children's celebrated what's known as a topping out ceremony, a tradition stretching back centuries. An evergreen tree mounted on one end of the beam honored the trees that were made into northern European dwellings long ago and today can symbolize the growth and potential of the area's first pediatric hospital, said Greg Fogle, president at Nabholz Construction.
"What a great blessing it is to have such a facility in this community," he told the crowd under a cloudless sky.
The 230,000-square-foot facility will bring clinics and labs, 24 inpatient beds, an emergency department, several operating rooms and other services for Northwest Arkansas' roughly 200,000 children. Construction's on schedule for the planned January 2018 opening, said Ashley Leopoulos, spokeswoman for the hospital's foundation.
Northwest Arkansas companies, families and individuals have donated at least $53 million to the effort, according to the foundation, including $15 million from Tyson Foods and the Tyson family, whose name will go on the building and an outdoor garden.
The hospital stands on 37 acres near Arvest Ballpark that were donated by Robin and Gary George and Cathy and David Evans of George's Inc. a little more than a year ago. Wal-Mart and the Walmart Foundation gave $8 million, while the Walton Family Foundation gave $3 million for outdoor nature trails and a labyrinth.
J.B. Hunt Transport Services earlier this year donated $5 million to the project and the Hunt family added another million earlier this week.
The beam lifted Wednesday was painted white and covered with marker signatures and messages from Tyson employees and other supporters.
"I have a son that's here today because of Children's Hospital. I have a grandson that's here today because of Children's Hospital," said Gary George, pausing to steady his voice. "You all in Northwest Arkansas have spoken from your heart."
Arkansas Children's is still working on raising the remaining $17 million for an overall fundraising goal of $70 million. Anyone can donate to the foundation. The hospital is expected to cost around $167 million to build and several hundred million dollars more to run for the first several years.
"This is truly a historic moment, not only for our organization, but for the state of Arkansas and this particular region," said Marcy Doderer, Arkansas Children's president and CEO, thanking all of the supporters.
NW News on 09/29/2016