Parker family donates $2 million to Arkansas Children’s Hospital

by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)

Arkansas Children’s Hospital has received a $2 million donation from Lynn and Don Parker and their children to help fund the ACH expansion project. The Jonesboro-based family has also committed a $1 million gift to the ACH Jonesboro Clinic.

This is the family’s second $1 million gift to the clinic. They also gave $1 million in 2019.

ACH is in the midst of a $318 million expansion project at both hospitals, announced in 2023. The plan will expand bed capacity, transform inpatient and outpatient surgical approaches with the addition of an ambulatory center, redesign clinical spaces to promote multidisciplinary care and create an inviting and accessible campus experience. With the Parker family donation, companies, individuals and organizations have donated $12.1 million toward the $253.2 million expansion project at ACH.

Parker family donates $2 million to Arkansas Children’s Hospital

Arkansas Children's campus in Little Rock.

UA announces $10M donation to College of Engineering

by Paul Gatling (pgatling@nwabj.com)

University of Arkansas alumnus Rick Moore has gifted $10 million to the university’s College of Engineering.

Moore was president of the Baton Rouge, La. firm Ford, Bacon & Davis, an affiliate of S&B Engineers and Constructors, for 29 years. He retired in 2020. Moore died this past summer.

According to a UA news release, Moore’s $10 million planned gift will endow funds for scholarships, a professorship, faculty recruitment and provide additional funds to benefit the Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering.

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/09/ua-announces-10m-donation-to-college-of-engineering/

Rick Moore

Coughlin commits $500,000 to U.S. Marshals Museum

by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)

Cynthia Coughlin, a member of the U.S. Marshals Museum Foundation Board, has committed $500,000 to the recently opened U.S. Marshals Museum in Fort Smith to support static and interactive exhibits in the “Modern Marshals” gallery of the museum.

Born in New York City and raised in the San Francisco Bay area, Coughlin moved to Northwest Arkansas in 1978. She was married to Tom Coughlin, former vice chairman of Walmart Inc., who died in 2016. Walmart founder Sam Walton recruited Coughlin in 1978 while he was at Ohio-based supermarket and discount department store chain company Cook United.

Since 1984, she has operated Coughlin’s Ranch, a cattle-breeding operation specializing in registered Black Angus in Centerton.

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/07/coughlin-commits-500000-to-u-s-marshals-museum/

Murphy USA donates $25 million to its charitable foundation

by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)

El Dorado-based Murphy USA announced Thursday (Dec. 29) that its board of directors approved a $25 million donation to the Murphy USA Charitable Foundation.

The foundation funds will support community investments and organizations in El Dorado and Southern Arkansas.

The foundation lists three key priorities of funding programs: education and workforce development, infrastructure revitalization, and community health and well-being.

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/01/murphy-usa-donates-25-million-to-its-charitable-foundation/

Rutledge honors Sultana Disaster Museum with $250,000 donation

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today announced the allocation of funds to the Sultana Disaster Museum in Marion. The new multi-million-dollar center will honor the 1,200 men, women, and children who died in the greatest maritime disaster in United States history. Attorney General Rutledge is allocating $250,000 to the Sultana Historical Preservation Society which created the museum.

The new Sultana Disaster Museum expects to attract 50,000 visitors annually, and is anticipated to inject approximately $3.5 million into Crittenden County and the Delta Region.

“What happened during the Sultana Disaster is heartbreaking and we must all remember those who tragically lost their lives that day,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “I pray the new museum will honor the victims and teach our young people about the horrific event that happened on the Mississippi River in 1865.”

In 1865, the Sultana was traveling up the Mississippi River when both boilers powering the steam engine exploded, causing the ship to sink. While the Sultana was designed to carry fewer than 400 passengers, the army overloaded the ship with over 2,200 passengers causing the incident to be the most deadly maritime accident in United States history. This historic event was overshadowed by the assassination of President Lincoln just two weeks prior.

UA Cossatot’s Cosmetology Program Receives $500 Donation from The Springs of Mine Creek Nursing Home

UA Cossatot’s Cosmetology Program recently received a $500 donation from The Springs of Mine Creek Nursing Home. The donation will cover student expenses to attend the Discovery Beauty Show in Grapevine, TX, in April.

Twice a month, UA Cossatot Cosmetology students provide haircuts and other hair services for The Springs of Mine Creek Nursing Home residents under the supervision of a licensed instructor. In addition, UA Cossatot’s cosmetology students were invited to help residents get glammed up for their Valentine banquet, providing hairstyles and manicures.

“This arrangement is a win for all involved. Providing these services brings smiles all around for the residents, their caretakers and families, and the students,” said UA Cossatot’s Cosmetology Instructor Toyia Witherspoon. “It is so rewarding to make someone feel good about how they look and something we often take for granted in a normal day-to-day salon environment. We certainly appreciate the generosity of the Springs of Mine Creek and their support of our students.”

To book an appointment with UA Cossatot’s Cosmetology Salon, call 870-584-1360. The salon is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 am until 3:00 pm. For more info on UA Cossatot’s Cosmetology Program, contact Toyia Witherspoon at 870-584-1346 or twitherspoon@cccua.edu

Dr. Randy Walker Family Practice & Allergy Clinic Donates to UA Cossatot Foundation

UA Cossatot Foundation recently received a $2,500 donation from Dr. Randy Walker Family Practice & Allergy Clinic. The donation supports local scholarships for students attending UA Cossatot.

Angie Walker of Dr. Randy Walker Family Practice said, “There is nothing more important or powerful than community. We need to be consistent and accountable in our lives, and it all starts with our connections in our community. CCCUA is a huge force in our community, and we are lucky enough to be a part of what they do in Sevier County.”

The UA Cossatot Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit governed by a Board of Directors comprised of business and community leaders in Southwest Arkansas. The foremost objective of the foundation is to increase philanthropic support from individuals, alumni, businesses, organizations, and friends as a means to directly invest in the educational mission of UA Cossatot.

UA Cossatot Chancellor Dr. Steve Cole said, “ Over the years, our Foundation efforts have grown exponentially, and I feel there are three major reasons for this; we have joined forces and become part of the University of Arkansas System Foundation, we have a great local Foundation Board and leadership, and most importantly, we have people like Angie and Dr. Randy Walker who give so any student has a chance to get the

education that will change their life. I envision a day where we totally eliminate the financial barriers our students face because of people making local donations to the Foundation”.

For more information or to make a gift to the UA Cossatot Foundation, contact Dustin Roberts, Director of Development, at 870-584-1172 or droberts@cccua.edu.

Tyson Foods Establishes Industrial Maintenance Scholarship with UA Cossatot Foundation

May 24, 2021

UA Cossatot Foundation recently received a $2,500 donation from Tyson Foods to establish the Tyson Technical Maintenance Scholarship.

The scholarship awards one student $2,500 who is in the Industrial Maintenance Program at UA Cossatot. This scholarship application will open in the summer and the recipient will be selected by the UA Cossatot Scholarship Committee in the fall 2021 semester.

UA Cossatot’s Director of Development, Dustin Roberts, said, “We greatly appreciate Tyson Foods'  helping our students succeed. Tyson generously donated valuable equipment to our Industrial Maintenance program on the Lockesburg Campus, was our headline sponsor at Fiesta Fest, which provides scholarships to our students, and most recently establishing the Tyson Technical Maintenance Scholarship!”

For more information on establishing a scholarship with the UA Cossatot Foundation, contact Dustin Roberts at 870-584-1172 or droberts@cccua.edu.

Tres Agaves Donates to UA Cossatot Foundation

Thank you so much,

Tres Agaves De Queen

for your recent donations to the UA Cossatot Foundation Legacy 2020 Campaign and for supporting local college students!