October 14, 2004
Thousands of Stores Salute Safe Neighborhood Heroes
BENTONVILLE, Ark., Oct. 14, 2004 - Communities large and small have a heightened interest in safety and honoring those who protect local communities. Wal-Mart stores, Neighborhood Markets and SAMS CLUBS nationwide will join the salute by announcing donations on Saturday, Oct. 16, to local police, fire, rescue and EMS teams. Each of the companys 3,600 stores, clubs and distribution centers will give away at least $1,500 in donations to a local organization of their choice. Nationwide the company will give away $7.9 million to local safety teams.
The donations are part of Wal-Marts annual Safe Neighborhood Heroes grant, which helps local public safety agencies fund projects such as: purchasing needed equipment such as bulletproof vests for law enforcement departments, thermal imaging cameras for firefighters, and jaws-of-life for emergency response teams or giving smoke detectors to residents in need, providing materials to establish Neighborhood Watch programs, or developing childrens fire safety education programs. (EDITORS NOTE: Please contact your local store for details about grants in your community.)
"Its important for us to support community safety heroes - our law enforcement, fire fighters, and EMS organizations," said Betsy Reithemeyer, executive director of the Wal-Mart & SAMS CLUB Foundation. "They are such a vital part of every community, unselfishly giving of themselves to make our communities safer places to live, work and raise a family." The Foundation funds the Safe Neighborhood Heroes grant and many other projects chosen by local store and club associates throughout the year that benefit the hometowns of each Wal-Mart store and SAMS CLUB.
Wal-Mart has a long-standing commitment to safety initiatives, particularly childrens safety.
- The Missing Childrens Network board is located just inside every Wal-Mart and SAMS CLUB nationwide. The board features pictures of children who are missing around the country and are part of Wal-Marts ongoing partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) since 1996. Each month new pictures are posted in an effort to help reunite families with a missing child.
- Two out of three missing children pictured on Wal-Mart boards have been recovered. More than 110 children have been found as a direct result of a customer seeing a childs picture at a Wal-Mart or SAMS CLUB and placing a call to 1-800-THE-LOST, the hotline for the NCMEC.
- Wal-Mart established the Code Adam program in 1994 to reduce the threat of abductions and lost children in stores. Wal-Mart has shared this program with other retailers and public buildings nationwide.
- Last year, Wal-Marts truck drivers began participating in Roadwatch, where on-board computers let our drivers know when an Amber alert has been issued in their area, offering countless extra sets of eyes on the lookout for children who have been kidnapped or who are missing.
About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates Wal-Mart Stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets and SAMS CLUBS in all fifty states. Internationally, the company operates in Puerto Rico, Canada, China, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, United Kingdom, Argentina and South Korea. The companys securities are listed on the New York and Pacific stock exchanges under the symbol WMT. Last year, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., contributed more than $150 million to support communities and local non-profit organizations. Customers and associates raised an additional $70 million at stores and clubs.
More information about Wal-Mart can be located on-line at www.walmartstores.com and www.walmart.com. The SAMS CLUB Web site can be accessed at www.samsclub.com. And more information about Wal-Marts Good Works community involvement is available online at www.walmartfoundation.org.