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JaKiah Collins – Outstanding Volunteer Youth Fundraiser

Photography by Rett Peek | Shot on location at the UA Little Rock Windgate Center of Art + Design

   Like many children in Arkansas, JaKiah Collins has been a patient at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Her journey is a complicated one. It started with a routine well-child appointment, which turned into a cancer diagnosis and comprehensive chemotherapy treatments. Today, this charismatic youngster is planning for a bright future filled with adventures and lots of learning. She’s a kidney cancer survivor and currently enjoying a cancer-free life; which means she only returns to the hospital for annual visits.

   JaKiah was nominated by a family friend to be an Arkansas Children’s Ambassador and proudly represents the continued mission fulfillment work throughout the state. By sharing her story, JaKiah cultivates support + appreciation for the hospital and its compassionate team of medical experts. Additionally, she was selected in 2016 and 2018 as a National Champion for Children’s Miracle Network – an organization that provides critical additional funding for 170 hospitals in North America. Through her service as an ardent ambassador JaKiah believes, “I give donors a window into how their donations impact kids.”

   Her commitment to Arkansas Children’s is unwavering. “Arkansas Children’s Hospital provides kids like me a fighting chance to overcome health obstacles. It’s the only children’s hospital in the state of Arkansas, and we need specialists that know how to deal with our growing bodies. Things that work for adults don’t always work for children. They never turn a family away, and they have the best care possible that’s close to home.” Arkansas Children’s Foundation President Fred Scarborough adds, “Families like JaKiah’s do a wonderful job of connecting Arkansans to the mission of Arkansas Children’s by sharing their personal stories around the state. The advocacy of the Arkansas Children’s Ambassadors is a powerful reminder of compassion and hope, and, ultimately inspires others to champion these remarkable children.”

Inviting Arkansas

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