Tysons Give Arkansas Children’s Northwest Record-Setting $15M

The Tyson family and Tyson Foods Inc. on Tuesday announced a $15 million donation to Arkansas Children’s Northwest hospital.

The gift from the publicly traded meat processor, announced at an event at its Springdale headquarters, is the largest in the hospital’s history, and the latest in a string of $1 million-plus donations to the project, which is set to open in January 2018.

Tyson Foods Chairman John Tyson said he had told Arkansas Children’s Hospital in the past that his family and the company would consider making a donation if the hospital expanded to northwest Arkansas. Tyson said supporting Children’s Hospital was “near and dear” to Barbara Tyson, a member of the Tyson board of directors.

“There has always been a desire to help and support Children’s Hospital,” John Tyson said. “It’s a happy day for me. This is more than a gift; this is about an investment. Today is about investing in our future.”

Tyson CEO Donnie Smith said several company employees who attended the announcement had children who had received life-saving care from Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock.

Those are “examples of the essential and significant work Arkansas Children’s Hospital does,” Smith said. “That’s why we’re so excited about today’s announcement.”

Arkansas Children’s Inc. announced in August its plans to build a freestanding children’s hospital in Springdale and released a strategic plan for growth a few months later.

Plans for the new hospital include 233,613 SF of inpatient beds, emergency care, diagnostic services and clinical space; walking trails, gardens and a helipad and refueling station.

The Tyson money will establish the Tyson Family Tower at Arkansas Children’s Northwest, which hospital officials said will anchor the new facility.

“This gift will transform health care for children in the region and create a wellness destination for families for generations to come,” said Marcy Doderer, Arkansas Children’s president and CEO. “To have the Tyson name attached to this project demonstrates what an impact this facility will have on the area. It’s a testament to the outstanding legacy of this remarkable family and company.”

Doderer said in June the hospital was in discussion with unnamed corporations for donations. She said she couldn’t properly praise Tyson’s pledge of $15 million.

“I was speechless,” Doderer said. “I’m truly grateful, and those words sound insincere. It’s hard to find the right level of words.”

The Tyson donation comes amid a flurry of other contributions from prominent northwest Arkansas families and businesses since Children’s announced the project last year. The most recent came Saturday, when Robin and Gary George of Springdale gave $1 million.

Gary George, the chairman of George’s Inc., and his family also donated the 37 acres the hospital is building on.

Others who have donated to the hospital include J.B. Hunt Transport Services of Lowell ($5 million), Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and the Walmart Foundation ($8 million). Children’s said Tuesday that the northwest Arkansas community has now pledged $45.5 million for the hospital’s construction. The total cost of the project is estimated to be $427.7 million over the next five years.

“There is amazing corporate citizenship up here,” Doderer said.

John Tyson said the companies in northwest Arkansas — started by families such as the Waltons, the Tysons, the Georges and the Hunts — have always understood the importance of working together to build the community.

“There are 4-5 go-to families,” John Tyson said. “We’ve always kind of participated. That basic instinct is still intact.”

Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects of Little Rock, which has an office in Fayetteville, and FKP Architects of Houston are designing the new complex. Nabholz Construction of Conway is overseeing construction.