Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Children's Hospital Awarded Grant

Ronald McDonald Children's Charities (RMCC) of Arkansas is dedicated to improving the quality of children's lives in Arkansas. In the spirit of this dedication, the organization has awarded a $13,700 grant to Arkansas Children's Hospital for the management of its Fire Safety House.

The funds from the grant will be used toward the maintenance and repairs of the Fire Safety House, purchase and print costs of fire prevention handouts, smoke fluid for the smoke generator, strobe lights and furniture for the house.

The McDonald's Cooperative of Central Arkansas built the McDonald's Fire Safety House in 1994 to help educate children throughout the state about fire safety and prevention. The Arkansas Fire Marshal's office managed the program until recently when the Fire Safety House was transferred to Arkansas Children's Hospital. In 1995, over 12,000 children across the state went through the House.

Fully mobile, the Fire Safety House is a state-of-the-art educational vehicle designed to teach children about fire safety in the home. The scaled- down replica of a typical home is equipped with a smoke alarm, artificial nontoxic smoke machine and strobe lights to simulate an actual fire. Children receive a fire safety lesson and are then taken through the House and shown how to escape fire and smoke during a simulated fire.

"With Arkansas ranking second in the nation in fire-related deaths per million, we believe strongly in fire prevention and eduaction," said Diane Hughes, fire and life safety specialist at Arkansas Children's Hospital. "The Fire Safety House enables us to teach the children about fire safety in an effective, hands-on manner, and this grant from Ronald McDonald Children's Charities will help us continue to provide this important program to the children of Arkansas."

"Ronald McDonald Children's Charities is committed to positively impacting the lives of children," said Keith Abney, president of RMCC of Arkansas. "Arkansas Children's Hospital shares our vision and recognizes the importance of education and prevention efforts among the children of this state. We are pleased to help support their efforts by contributing to the maintenance of the Fire Safety House program."

Arkansas Children's Hospital is the only pediatric hospital in the state of Arkansas and serves as a referral center for critically and chronically ill children in a multi-state area.

Since its inception in 11984, Ronald Mcdonald Children's Charities have nationally awarded in excess of $100 million to thousands of programs that have helped over 25 million children worldwide. Established in memory of McDonald's Corporation founded Ray A. Korc, RMCC helps young people lead healthier, happier and more productive lives by funding programs in the areas of health care and medical research, including Ronald McDonald house; education and the arts; and social and civic concerns.