Arkansas

East North Street Foundation Donates $1M for Arkansas Children's Hospital Expansion

Published

2 years ago

July 9, 2024

East North Street Foundation Donates M for Arkansas Children's Hospital Expansion

David Hendrix and Doug Hendrix, co-founders and owners of the East North Street Foundation (Karen E. Segrave)

The nonprofit East North Street Foundation has donated $1 million to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock in support of the hospital’s $235.2 million expansion project, the pediatric care provider announced Tuesday.

According to a news release, the expansion will add bed capacity and transform inpatient and outpatient surgical approaches at Arkansas Children’s Hospital with the addition of an ambulatory surgery center. Additionally, the expansion will redesign clinical spaces to promote multidisciplinary care and create an inviting and accessible campus experience.

Arkansas Children’s announced their $318 million expansion project for the campuses in Little Rock and Springdale in May 2023. Donors of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals raised $5.42 million for the two expansions in 2023, Arkansas Children’s announced in May.

Phase one of construction on both campuses began earlier this year and is scheduled to be completed in 2026.

“This generous investment will have a lasting impact on the hospital’s ability to provide cutting-edge pediatric care and improve the overall well-being of our young patients and their families,” Marcy Doderer, president and CEO of Arkansas Children’s, said in the release. “Pediatric health needs are more complex than ever before, and we are committed to the highest levels of access and health care quality for the children across Arkansas and the region.”

The East North Street Foundation is co-founded and operated by David Hendrix and Doug Hendrix of Bryant, who founded Big Red Stores in 1997 and sold the franchise for $225.7 million to Canadian firm Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. in April 2023.

The brothers own Summerwood Partners LLC of Bryant, parent company of the convenience store chain Big Red, which ranked No. 34 among the largest private companies in Arkansas in 2024.

The release stated that the family foundation has strong ties to Arkansas and is a long-time supporter of Arkansas Children’s.

“This partnership with Arkansas Children’s Hospital is a profound honor for us,” David Hendrix said. “Contributing to the hospital’s expansion project is not only an investment in advanced medical care but also a commitment to building a brighter, healthier future for families across Arkansas.”

Source link

Arkansas

Arkansas Governor joins national A.I. workforce initiative

Published

2 hours ago

June 25, 2026

Press Room

Arkansas Governor joins national A.I. workforce initiative

LITTLE ROCK, AR (KATV) — Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has joined a new national artificial intelligence initiative that launched Thursday, June 25.

RAISE US, started by former Governor Eric Holcomb of Indiana and Gina Raimondo, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce is a nonpartisan national organization that will partner with governors, employers, workers and training organizations to help the workforce transition to an AI economy.

“As artificial intelligence transforms America’s economy, we have one clear message: technology should empower people, not replace them. By leveraging our Arkansas LAUNCH initiative, and with the resources and expertise provided by RAISE US, Arkansas will turn that mission into reality. We want the Natural State to be a leader on education, workforce training, and up-skilling, and this new partnership gives us the tools we need to build a model for the entire nation.”

The organization will design and pilot incentives to retrain workers, new approaches to support job transitions, and training models tied to employer demand.

RAISE US launches with more than two dozen American companies and philanthropies and initial state partnerships in Connecticut, Maryland and Utah.

“America has a technology strategy for leading the global AI competition. It does not yet have a people strategy — and we cannot lead without one,” Raimondo, who will serve as CEO of RAISE US, said.

“If we build the best AI systems in the world and leave millions of Americans behind, we won’t have won anything; we’ll have automated our own decline. I believe AI will create new jobs and industries over time, but the transition could be disruptive, and it’s already underway. We shouldn’t fearmonger, but we can’t pretend our training and worker support systems are ready either. It’s time for innovative and practical solutions. This moment demands ambition, urgency, and creativity. We’ve assembled the country’s top companies, best economists, and bipartisan governors at a scale rarely seen — all to advance new ideas and incentives, pilot them with governors and business, and scale what works.”

Governor Sanders is partnering with RAISE US to support Arkansas LAUNCH, an AI-powered career navigation platform that connects students and jobseekers to personalized learning and employer-linked career pathways.

Source link