A perennial support for Arkansas Children’s comes naturally to Brooke and Hunter Bale. That extends to Miracle Ball, the signature holiday gala the two will chair and which will be held, as is tradition, inside the Little Rock hospital this month.
“I love how they have it on campus,” shares Brooke, highlighting one of her favorite features of the event. “Most of the other black-tie parties in Little Rock are hosted at one of the bigger event centers. And I love how Children’s says, ‘You know what? We’re going to stick to who we are.’”
For the 19th year, supporters will gather to celebrate the daily miracles that take place in those very halls while championing and raising funds for the continued expansion of the only children’s health care system in the state. This year’s event theme of Evergreen Christmas, according to the hospital’s executive vice president and chief development officer Fred Scarborough, reflects more than pretty holiday baubles.
“Evergreens are harbingers of good fortune and prosperity,” Scarborough says. “With wisdom, the majestic trees dig deep roots in their communities and grow their strong boughs slowly over hundreds of years. Evergreens have the ability to thrive for centuries, symbolizing life, good luck and new and continued growth.”
While the theme will be beautifully executed through a dazzling green and wintery wonderland for the evening’s guests, the symbolism behind the festive tableau speaks to the rich history of ACH, bold plans for the future and the everyday care it offers to children across the state.
Celebrating Deep Roots
The spirit behind this Evergreen Christmas speaks directly to ACH’s century-plus history in central Arkansas. The seeds for the nationally-renowned pediatric hospital were planted in 1912 with the establishment of the Arkansas Children’s Home Society, an organization focused on caring for the state’s most vulnerable kids. This organization eventually bloomed in the 1920s into the Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Since then, ACH’s roots have grown steadily from its inaugural two-bed facility to the 336-bed, 36-block campus of 2024.
ACH has also undergone extensive growth beyond central Arkansas, including the 2018 completion of a new campus in Springdale. Between its seven locations across the state, ACH served more than 170,000 children in 2023 — a historic number.
Much like the institution itself, Brooke and Hunter have a long history with ACH. Hunter’s connection dates back almost to the beginning.
“My great-grandfather was on the board in the 1920s, and we’ve had a family member on the board ever since then,” says Hunter, whose parents were also gala chairs in the early years of Miracle Ball.
Brooke was introduced to ACH when her mom worked there for several years as a physical therapist. Even their history as a couple is entwined with ACH.
“One of our first dates was actually to an Arkansas Children’s function at Hunter’s parents’ house,” Brooke says. “And it didn’t take long after that event for me to really understand the multitude of amazing things that Arkansas Children’s does and continues to do day in and day out.”
Currently, Hunter, who runs his family’s car dealership, serves on the Arkansas Children’s board, and Brooke, a teacher, is a member of the ACH Auxiliary, an organization that supports the hospital through volunteer work and fundraising.
Working Toward Growth
Beyond honoring ACH’s history, an event alluding to deeper roots and stronger boughs is especially poignant after the May 2023 announcement of the system’s largest expansion plans to date. The effort will cost nearly $319 million, span eight years and impact both the Little Rock and Springdale campuses.
According to Scarborough, the goal is to “increase access to care, enhance exceptional outcomes for children and elevate the patient/family experience” on campus. The central Arkansas campus will be reinvigorated, starting from the moment patients and families walk through the door.
“At ACH, reimagining our main entrance, a three-story light and airy lobby will include easier access to services such as financial counseling, medical records and a family resource center,” Scarborough says.
The plans also include a new outpatient building which will house a surgery center, orthopedic clinic and more, and will be connected to the main hospital via a sky bridge. The grounds will be further enhanced with new green spaces and extra parking near the front of the hospital.
“The plan will transform inpatient and outpatient surgical approaches, redesign clinical spaces to promote multidisciplinary care and create an inviting and accessible campus experience,” Scarborough says.
As a longtime volunteer and member of the board’s building and grounds committee, Hunter has had a front row seat to ACH’s recent projects.
“It’s unbelievable how they’re taking the hospital from the incredible facility that it’s been for decades and generations and expanding to northwest Arkansas and to northeast Arkansas and to southeast Arkansas,” he says. “It’s just really cool to watch the whole thing expand past what it ever dreamt of being.”
“I love the fact that Arkansas Children’s never settles,” Brooke adds. “They’re always looking to do more and better serve our community in whatever the capacity.”
The eight-year plan also includes expansion beyond ACH’s physical footprint. Major cultivation of the ACH team is needed to keep pace with its groundbreaking growth. For Scarborough, this “[investment] in a statewide system of care” means adding new clinical programs, developing new therapies and recruiting hundreds of new providers and team members. Already, ACH is home to more than 500 physicians, 200 residents and 4,400 support staff.
“These doctors and nurses and staff and executive staff, they’re second to none,” says Hunter, who is excited to have the chance to shine a light on ACH’s exceptional team at this year’s gala.
Since its inception in 2006, the Miracle Ball hosts have focused each year’s fundraising to support specific ACH projects and programs. This year, that means continued support for the expansion.
“Last year, the ACH Auxiliary announced a $6.25 million commitment over five years to support the historic expansion and renovation, and raised $1.03 million,” Scarborough says. “This year’s event will once again benefit the ACH expansion project, impacting children throughout the multistate region.”
Nurturing Daily
The verdant hope embodied by an Evergreen Christmas also alludes to the abundance of miracles that take place at ACH.
“Every day, I hear a story that makes me proud to be a part of the Arkansas Children’s team — whether it’s a child receiving an innovative new treatment for a devastating disease or a team member finding small ways to show compassion to a patient family,” Scarborough says.
To help bring those miracles into the lives of its patients, ACH offers more than 80 specialty clinics and services including a cancer and blood disorders program, pediatric cardiology care and a pulmonary clinic. ACH is home to the state’s only Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center and Level 1 Pediatric Surgical Center, meaning ACH is able to offer the highest level of care to each patient. ACH is also dedicated to medical research helping practitioners discover the best treatments for children in Arkansas and beyond. It currently has a team digging into the impact of opioid use on children that will position ACH as a national leader in the field.
As central Arkansas parents, Brooke and Hunter highlighted another everyday benefit of living near a premiere pediatric hospital. Their son, Evan, loves outdoor activities including competitive mountain biking.
“I feel like we’re always like one accident away from something major,” Brooke says. “He was at Pinnacle Mountain and River Mountain competing, doing some really gnarly stuff. … It was so peaceful as a mom to be able to say, ‘Okay, if and when there is a major crash, we literally have Arkansas Children’s at our back door.’ You just can’t find that peace anywhere else.”
Hunter and Brooke encourage fellow Little Rock parents, grandparents and anyone interested in learning more to experience — and nurture — ACH through one of its many fundraising efforts.
The Race for a Healthier Tomorrow 5K offers families a chance to be active and raise funds together. For older kids, the ACHiever program allows local ninth grade students to explore medical careers, network with ACH practitioners, volunteer and raise funds. The Playaway Gift Shop is one of the auxiliary’s original fundraising projects, offering comforting finds for families and patients while raising funds.
“I would encourage people to just see what ACH offers,” Brooke says, “because until you have a patient there, sadly enough, you really don’t understand the multitude of miracles and things that are going on in Arkansas Children’s Hospital, so just go. See it, get involved.”
The Bales personify the much-needed willingness to support ACH that has allowed it to flourish and expand over the years.
“Volunteerism and philanthropy have helped sustain, strengthen and expand the advanced levels of medicine that Arkansas Children’s has provided for 112 years,” Scarborough says. “When a child needs a pediatric intensive care unit, when a toddler needs a kidney transplant or when an infant requires a heart surgery, ACH is the only hospital in the state providing this level of care for children. Generous gifts from supporters fuel excellence. Because of that generosity, Arkansas Children’s is the region’s best resource for child health.”
And while the Evergreen Christmas theme for the Miracle Ball touches on everything from ACH’s history and everyday operations to its bright future, Hunter offers a more straightforward mantra to focus his volunteer efforts.
“The theme for us is kids.”
As legacy volunteers and parents themselves, the theme of the Bale family’s life seems to be kids as well. The seeds planted by Hunter’s great-grandfather continue to bear fruit in ways large and small for ACH, Little Rock and the many families who will be impacted by the expanded ACH campus for years to come.
Miracle Ball
Benefiting Arkansas Children’s
Dec. 14 | Info: archildrens.org/auxiliary
PHOTOGRAPHY
JASON MASTERS
DRESS
UNVEILED BRIDAL COLLECTION
JEWELRY
SISSY’S LOG CABIN
HAIR & MAKEUP
LORI WENGER
HOLIDAY DECOR
TANARAH LUXE FLORAL