Winter 2008 - Arkansas Children's Hospital

DONORSKaren and John FlakeSupporting ACH’s Mission in Northwest Arkansas■ Alyssa AndersonK aren and John Flake may live in Little Rock, but theyhave a sincere interest in what happens in the northwest partof the state. John’s business, Flake & Kelley, has an office innorthwest Arkansas, but more importantly, the Flakes’ threegrandchildren, 4-year-old Celeste, 3-year-old Allison and 1-yearold Colin, live with their parents in Fayetteville. That is why, inSeptember 2006, Karen and John decided to make a $1 milliongift to Arkansas Children’s Hospital to help initiate the hospital’sgrowth in that part of the state.“We feel that Children’s Hospital is a world-class facility,”John says, “and if you look at other world-class facilities, forexample the Mayo Clinic, you don’t just have to go toRochester, Minn., to be treated by a Mayo Clinic specialist. Youcan go to other parts of the country where you are getting thesame quality care. In Arkansas, I think Children’s Hospital certainlyhas a mission, and I think that as the hospital is able toexpand and keep that quality it now offers, it’s incumbent uponus as citizens of the state to support and help it do so.”Raised in Little Rock,Karen and John both“What’s moreremember ArkansasChildren’s Hospital growingup, and they areimportamt in lifeamazed at its growth overthan our children the years.“It was always a hospitalyou noticed, maybe justand grandchildren?because it was there whenyou were driving downtown,”Karen says. “ButThey are our future.what has really changed, asI think we have a people will tell you, is thereputation of the hospital.responsibility to make It’s phenomenal.”The Flakes know verypersonally about the worldclasscare that Arkansassure that the future isChildren’s Hospital provides.Last year, theyproperly cared for.”brought their middlegrandchild, Allison, to— John FlakeThe Flakes’ grandchildren (from left): Allison, Colin and Celeste.The children live in Fayetteville with their parents, Jessica andMatthew Dearnley.ACH when she became severely dehydrated from a stomach bug,and in December, their youngest grandchild, Colin, had a hemangiomaremoved at the hospital.One of their daughters, Rebecca, volunteered at Children’sHospital as a high school student and even thought she wanted tobecome a pediatrician one day. She now is a candidate for a Ph.D.in clinical psychology at the University of Kentucky, and althoughit’s not pediatrics, Karen and John really believe volunteering atACH helped set the path for Rebecca’s career.Karen and John say their dream is that one day ArkansasChildren’s Hospital will build a tertiary care facility in northwestArkansas so that the two-and-a-half- to three-hour drive forfamilies traveling to Little Rock could be eliminated. They hopeothers will join them in this effort.“What’s more important in life than our children and grandchildren?They are our future. I think we have a responsibility tomake sure that the future is properly cared for,” John says.Karen adds, “If this state is going to have quality of life for allits people, it certainly starts with the young ones.”10