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Taxpayers can donate to the Baby Sharon Fund this tax season to help ACH patients
Publication date: February 27, 2024
Katie Zakruszewski
Al Adams (from left), Katie Emmel, Richard Emmel and Dr. Patrick Casey stand outside the main entrance of Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock. The four are members of the Baby Sharon Foundation committee.
During tax season, Arkansans have the opportunity to give back to their community when filling out their state income tax forms.
The Arkansas Pediatric Catastrophic Illness Grant Program, better known as the Baby Sharon Fund, provides monthly grants to families with children being treated at Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH). The grant also covers non-medical expenses such as utilities, mortgage, car payments, repairs, and other costs associated with a child’s hospitalization.
Sharon Emel, the foundation’s namesake, was born in 1999 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. She was born with a defect in her heart and she needed immediate surgery. Her surgery was scheduled at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, but the Vietnamese government would not allow her to leave the country unless she owed $36,000 in air, doctor and hospital fees in Singapore. These charges cost Baby Sharon her life.
Determined to make a difference after losing their granddaughter and their youngest son to cancer, Richard and Sharon “Katie” Emmel teamed up with state Rep. Jeremy Hutchinson in 1999. Together, they created the Baby Sharon Fund to help alleviate the disease. The financial stress of having a sick child. Each month, the foundation’s committee distributes donations and state donations to families in need. 100% of donations go to families in need.
In 2003, the state Legislature passed Act 279, which added a checkbox to the Arkansas income tax form, giving Arkansans the opportunity to contribute to the fund.
Richard Emmel, a member of Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Little Rock with his wife, Katie, said there are two ways to donate to the Baby Sharon Fund.
“Like any charity, we rely on money, so we hope people will consider the Baby Sharon Fund, especially at this time of year,” Richard said. . “It’s very simple. There’s a place on the income tax form where you do what’s called a ‘checkoff.’ So if you want your money back, you can check off $10 or any amount you want. Another way is to donate on the website. ”
Katie said the experience of losing her granddaughter due to lack of funds, and the generosity of strangers after losing her son, motivated her to make the change.
“Helping others is what we are here on this earth for,” Katie said. “Any of us could have ended up here (at the hospital). Here at the Children’s Hospital (in Arkansas), I had a son who died of cancer 0 years ago.
“We didn’t know how to pay for it. Somebody helped us pay. I don’t know who. It was a million dollars, and somebody helped us pay for it. And I still can’t get over it that people really care whether they know how to help or not. It’s so important. …If I could give you a little bit, I’d give it a little. Please just give me a little more. If you can give me a little more, please give me a little more.”
Dr. Patrick Casey, a member of Christ the King Church in Little Rock and a committee member, has been a pediatrician at Arkansas Children’s Hospital for nearly 40 years.
“I’ve always… worried about the burden on parents of having their children hospitalized,” Casey said. “The burden was both emotional and financial. Parents could lose their jobs if their child had to be hospitalized for an extended period of time. Paying for other regular expenses can be difficult and we are pleased that the Baby Sharon Fund Committee can assist parents with these types of expenses.”
Since its inception, the Baby Sharon Fund has awarded $322,919.60 in grants, ranging from $500 to $14,500 per family each month.
“We rely primarily on the discretion of the ACH social worker who brings the case,” Casey said.
Al Adams, also a member of Christ the King Church in Little Rock, joined the Baby Sharon Fund Committee in the summer of 2023.
“The incidents we’re hearing about are devastating,” Adams said. “If you have a child who really needs a lot of medical care, that’s going to take up a lot of your normal budget and you won’t be able to pay that month’s rent or electricity bill. That’s where this fund steps up. We will not cover any insured medical expenses; that is not the purpose of this fund. However, we will assist you with other day-to-day expenses.”
Congressman Andrew Collins helped secure more funding for the Baby Sharon Fund in the 2017-2018 legislative year, but there will always be sick children with families in need of support. Masu. But Richard Emmel said he is hopeful that God will continue to provide.
“We have been around since 2000, and I want people who share my faith to know about our organization,” he said.
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