On Mar. 2, 1912, the Arkansas Children’s Home Society, an orphanage for the underprivileged children of Arkansas, was officially founded. The Society’s Board voted to elect then-Governor George W. Donaghey as board president.

The mission of the Society was to provide help to Arkansas’ children most in need, a mission that remains at the heart of Arkansas Children’s Hospital to this day. On Oct. 14, 1946, the American College of Surgeons accredited the hospital.