Hank’s Fine Furniture Donates $1.5 Million in Honor of Hank Browne and Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (September 17, 2025) - Arkansas Children’s has received a $1.5 million gift from Hank’s Fine Furniture. Made as part of Arkansas Children’s ongoing expansion project, the gift will help deliver better access, exceptional outcomes and improved on-campus experiences at the state’s nationally ranked pediatric health system.

The gift was made in memory of Hank Browne, founder of Hank’s Fine Furniture, who passed away in 2022 of glioblastoma, a type of cancer that originates in the brain. In recognition of his longtime support of Arkansas Children’s and in observance of September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, the new bone marrow transplant suite at Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) will be named in his honor.

“We wanted to do something to honor my father and knew we wanted to do it at Arkansas Children’s,” said Mary Browne Allen, owner and chief executive officer of Hank’s Fine Furniture. “Arkansas Children’s is so important to the state, and it was deeply important to my father. I think he would be very proud of this gift and of the legacy he created that allows us to give back in this way.”

The Hank Browne Bone Marrow Transplant Suite will include specialized rooms specifically designed to meet the needs of immunocompromised bone marrow transplant patients. Located adjacent to the ACH hematology/oncology unit, the redesigned space will be able to accommodate dedicated equipment and intensive patient monitoring.

“Hank was such a fantastic friend and tremendous supporter of Arkansas Children’s over the years,” said Fred Scarborough, executive vice president and chief development officer at Arkansas Children's. “We’re honored to have his name on the new bone marrow transplant suite, which will continue to enhance the level of care and provide an elevated experience for pediatric oncology patients.”

A native of Perryville, Arkansas, Browne had his first interaction with Arkansas Children’s as a teenager when he spent a summer driving young patients to doctor’s appointments around Little Rock. After spending four years in the Navy, he graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a degree in business before founding what would become Hank’s Fine Furniture in 1975. Hank’s has grown to 16 stores across Arkansas, Alabama and Florida.

“When he was younger, after his summer job driving those young patients, my dad told himself that if he ever had any money, he would donate to Arkansas Children’s — and he did,” Allen said. “For more than 30 years, he gave generously. Honoring his legacy with a gift that supports the best in pediatric health care just makes sense.”

Browne is survived by his wife, Cathy, as well as his three daughters, Jennifer Browne and her husband Robin Morris, Mary Browne Allen and her husband Ryan and Laura Browne Lowery. He is also survived by seven grandchildren: Eva Allen, Thomas Morris, Ian Morris, Gretchen Allen, True Waymack, Rory Waymack and Jack Lowery.

A study published in January 2025 in the journal PLOS One found that childhood cancer rates in the United States have increased by approximately 33% since 1975. According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 10,000 children will be diagnosed with cancer in 2025. Arkansas Children’s treats approximately 90% of pediatric cancer inpatient cases and nearly 75% of pediatric cancer outpatient cases in the state.

From its founding as an orphanage in 1912 to its current status as a nationally acclaimed pediatric health care system, Arkansas Children's has remained steadfast in its commitment to champion children by making them better today and healthier tomorrow. To learn more about the expansion project, visit archildrens.org/expansion. To support Arkansas Children's growth, visit archildrens.org/donate or call 800-880-7491 today. 

ABOUT ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S

Arkansas Children's is the only health care system in the state solely dedicated to caring for Arkansas' 850,000 children. The private, non-profit organization includes two pediatric hospitals with 361 licensed beds, a pediatric research institute and USDA nutrition center, a philanthropic foundation, a nursery alliance, statewide clinics, and many education and outreach programs — all focused on fulfilling a promise to define and deliver unprecedented child health. Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) is a Magnet-recognized facility in Little Rock operating the state’s only Level I pediatric trauma center; the state's only burn center; the state's only Level IV neonatal intensive care unit; the state's only pediatric intensive care unit; the state’s only pediatric surgery program with Level 1 verification from the American College of Surgeons (ACS); and the state's only nationally recognized pediatric transport program. Arkansas Children’s is nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report in seven pediatric subspecialties (2024-2025): Cancer, Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Neonatal Care, Nephrology, Neurology & Neurosurgery, Orthopedics and Pulmonology & Lung Surgery. Arkansas Children’s Northwest (ACNW), the first and only pediatric hospital in the northwest Arkansas region, is a Level IV pediatric trauma center. ACNW operates an inpatient unit that will expand in 2026; a surgical unit with five operating rooms; outpatient clinics offering over 20 subspecialties; diagnostic services; imaging capabilities; occupational therapy services; and northwest Arkansas' only pediatric emergency department. Generous philanthropic and volunteer engagement has sustained Arkansas Children's since it began as an orphanage in 1912, and today ensures the system can deliver on its promise of unprecedented child health.To learn more, visit archildrens.org.

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