Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Loggers Contribute $450,000 To Arkansas Children's Hospital

Arkansas' logging and forestry communities demonstrated they have a heart for kids by raising $450,000 for Arkansas Children's Hospital (ACH) through Log A Load For Kids campaign. Since 1993 this program has raised almost $1.5 million for ACH.

Community-wide fundraising events were held at Prescott, Camden, Glenwood, Hermitage, Little Rock, Magnolia, Malvern, Monticello, Nashville, Petit Jean, Sheridan, Strong and Wilton.

The money raised at these events will support the Log A Load For Kids Chair of Cardiovascular Surgery' at ACH.

Arkansas is one of 30 states involved in the Log A Load For Kids program. It started in South Carolina in 1988 when two loggers gave a contribution equal to the value of a load of logs to their children's hospital. This act of kindness has spread and this year, forestry groups raised more than $2.75 million nationwide to support Children's Miracle Network (CMN) hospitals.

"We are proud to support our world-class children's hospital and help make a difference in the lives of children and their families," said Bradley County logger Ray Marcantel.

Marcantel presented the $450,000 check on June 4 during the CMN Weekend of Champions Telethon.

Log A Load For Kids continues to be one of ACH's leading fundraising campaigns.

"Log A Load is successful, because the timber and forestry community is committed to ensuring that our children  like our forests  are healthy, productive and growing for the future," Marcantel said.

For more information about Log A Load For Kids, contact Anna Swaim, communications director at Arkansas Forestry Association. She can be reached at 501-374-2441 or look on the Internet at www.arkforests.org.

Log A Load is sponsored by the Arkansas Forestry Association and Arkansas Timber Producers Association.