facing life with a smile - Arkansas Children's Hospital

GIVINGRuth Beall SocietyPlanned Giving SocietyHonors Courageous Ladyand Commitment to ChildrenRuth Beall with hospital patients, circa 1951.In January of 1934 a young womannamed Ruth Beall brought a little boyfrom Benton County to an orphanagecalled the Arkansas Children’s Homeand Hospital. The boy was sufferingfrom spinal tuberculosis and had beenunable to get the care he needed inhis hometown. There was little that could be done forthe child, and he died several days after arriving in LittleRock.Before leaving the capital city, Beall made an unannouncedvisit to Judge Thomas Humphries, who was aSupreme Court Justice and a member of the Board ofTrustees for the Children’s Home and Hospital. She complainedthat the hospital building was run down and thatthere was not enough staff to care for the large numberof patients. She believed that the children deserved better.She was reminded by Judge Humphries that timeswere hard, an explanation that Beall simply would notaccept. The Board of Directors was seeking a newSuperintendent to manage the Hospital, and Beall wasoffered the position. She accepted.Arkansas Children’s Home and Hospital would neverbe the same. What Beall didn’t know when she acceptedthe position of Superintendent was that she had inheriteda bankrupt institution, a mere 30 days from the sheriff’shammer. Upon discovering the desperate situation, Beallorganized a citizen’s group to prevent foreclosure.Turning her concentration to fundraising, she was able toobtain the $30,000 necessary to keep the doors of thehospital open one more year.Having averted the foreclosure crisis, Beall began totackle other issues. She worked tirelessly to fix unsafeand dilapidated buildings, fired ineffective administratorsand even used her personal funds to buy needed medicalsupplies for the Hospital. Beall was instrumental inthe passage of various legislative items that broughtmuch-needed funds into the program and raised publicawareness of the institution. Gradually, under heradministration, the financial situation stabilizedand the facility became debt-free. As her tenureas Superintendent progressed, the ArkansasChildren’s Home and Hospital became less of anorphanage and more of a hospital, based on thetheory that concentration should be placed onproviding the greatest good for the greatest number.Beall spent 27 years as the Superintendent of ArkansasChildren’s Hospital. The impact she made both on the childrenwho were in her charge and those who would walkthrough the doors in later years is immeasurable. Beall providedfor, protected and loved the children as if they wereher own. She also looked toward the future and sought toprovide a place where all children could find the care, loveand hope they needed. “We walk into the future on the feetof our children,” she often said, “and we must not limp onclubfeet.”For many years, through a society called The HorizonAlliance, Arkansas Children’s Hospital recognized people inthe community who provided for and protected children byincluding the Hospital in their estate plans. In February2000, the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Foundation Boardvoted to change the name of this organization to the RuthBeall Society as a way to honor Ruth Beall and her commitmentto children. Members of the Ruth Beall Society aresupporting ACH through various planned giving vehicles,including wills, trusts and annuities. These gifts are vitallyimportant and go a long way to ensure the economic viabilityof Arkansas Children’s Hospital. The Ruth Beall Societyexists to increase awareness of both the need and the possibilitiesof planned gifts...as well as to recognize those whohave supported the Hospital in such a meaningful way.If you are interested in finding out more about the RuthBeall Society or would like information on making aplanned gift, please contact Ashley Coldiron at the ACHFoundation, 501-364-1472 or 800-880-7491.6