Next year will mark Arkansas Children’s Hospital’s (ACH) 100th anniversary. Kicking off the centennial celebration will be the annual Miracle Ball, an event co-chair Ginger Blackmon is ecstatic about. Blackmon does not have a medical degree or experience in administration of medicine, but she does have a heart for children, and it is because of her deep commitment to the vision of ACH that she feels she can make a lasting impact.
“I chose ACH because I intended to be actively involved with my children’s healthcare. Little did I know that I would fall in love with the institution. If we can achieve all that we have planned at ACH, Arkansas will be a much healthier place to raise a family. I want the best for my family and for families throughout Arkansas,” she said. “I know ACH is a place where I can make a difference.”
Next year will mark Arkansas Children’s Hospital’s (ACH) 100th anniversary. Kicking off the centennial celebration will be the annual Miracle Ball, an event co-chair Ginger Blackmon is ecstatic about. Blackmon does not have a medical degree or experience in administration of medicine, but she does have a heart for children, and it is because of her deep commitment to the vision of ACH that she feels she can make a lasting impact.
What is outstanding about ACH is that it is geared toward the specific treatment and care of children; it is not just an adult hospital that can treat children. Blackmon said, “ACH is an entire community of healthcare professionals working together to help children and families. Sometimes the work is prevention, sometimes the work is research, and sometimes the work is clinical care. In any case, we are so lucky to have this amazing institution in the center of our state.”
Blackmon grew up in Fort Smith and watched her mother work with various charities and organizations in an effort to make an impact. This is why she believes that she has an innate responsibility to serve her community. “As an adult, that sense of responsibility is only magnified when I think of the community I want for my children and, really, for every child,” she said. “I am a wife, mother and community volunteer. I think I’ve been in training since I was 4 years old. I was on the back of a golf cart working alongside my mother at the Fort Smith River Fest when I was my son Clark’s age.”
Blackmon and her husband, Thomas, are excited to be this year’s co-chairs for ACH’s Miracle Ball. She said, “You cannot have grown up with the mothers that Thomas and I have without amassing a long list of things to accomplish,” she explained. “Like all previous Miracle Ball chairs, Thomas and I are presenting sponsors. We have joined forces with the Stella Boyle Smith Trust, Iberia Bank and Jones and Sons as the lead sponsors.”
This year’s ball will be from 6:30 p.m. to midnight on Saturday, December 10, and heralds the hospital’s 100th anniversary (1912-2012). Blackmon said it’s an exciting time to be working with ACH, celebrating the organization’s past and preparing for the future. “This year’s ball is the centennial kickoff party,” she said. “Miracle Ball 2011 will mark the beginning celebration for the hospital’s 100th anniversary. We knew from the very beginning that we wanted to pay tribute to 1912.”
She said it has been a goal for her and Thomas to incorporate elements from 1912 that represent shifts in art, music and culture. “Mike Nichols at The Rep and Yslan Hicks at UALR helped us get our heads around the basic concepts,” she explained. “We are using Moroccan elements (loosely based on Scheherazade) to shape much of the theme and flow of the evening. From color to menu, we’ve tried to fill the evening with little celebrations. We like to think of it as celebrating the past while turning our attention to the next 100 years of service. “
The Blackmons are excited to see the fruition of so much work. “The ball is something that many, many volunteers have worked countless hours to achieve. I can’t wait to share the evening with those in attendance. It is so bright, cheerful, fun and exotic.”
Blackmon wants to make sure that people recognize the great things the hospital is doing and will do in the future. She is adamant that the community’s support is essential to the success of ACH. “I want people to know that ACH is at a pivotal moment in its evolution. Now is the time to become involved,” she said. “Miracle Ball, the auxiliary, volunteering or becoming involved as a donor—these are just a few ways to express one’s gratitude for ACH. I hope this article causes people involved at ACH to smile. I hope that it causes others to become involved. Every day counts.”
Miracle Ball
when: 6:30-midnight, Saturday, December 10
where: Arkansas Children’s Hospital Children’s Hall
tickets: $500 per person
info: Holly Barron, 364-2092, ACHAuxiliary@ARChildrens.org.