Teacher of the Year program
Click here for the entire list of 2007 winners BENTONVILLE, Ark., May 8, 2007 – Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. announced today – National Teacher’s Day – that more than 4,000 teachers nationwide have received Teacher of the Year honors. The awards were given as part of the company’s 12th annual Teacher of the Year program, and the winning teachers’ schools received more than $4 million from the Wal-Mart & Sam’s Club Foundation.
As part of the Teacher of the Year program, each Wal-Mart Store, Neighborhood Market, Sam’s Club location and Wal-Mart Distribution Center across America selected a local teacher winner. Teachers, who are being notified this week during surprise ceremonies, were nominated by members of the community in February and selected by a committee of store or club associates. The winning teachers each received a $1,000 grant for his or her school, a $100 gift card to buy classroom supplies, a Teacher of the Year polo shirt and a personalized certificate.
“As they grow up, children always remember the teachers who challenged them and encouraged learning,” said Ray Bracy, senior vice president of Wal-Mart Corporate Affairs. “Wal-Mart is proud to recognize these 4,000 educators who are positively impacting our nation’s students.”
Honoring the local winners is the first part of Wal-Mart’s three-tiered Teacher of the Year program. All local winning teachers have the opportunity to apply for state Teacher of the Year honors to receive a $10,000 grant for their schools. Each state winner is automatically entered into the national competition. The one national winner, who will be recognized in the fall, will receive an additional $25,000 education grant for a total of $36,000 to his or her school. Through the 2007 program, the Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club Foundation will donate nearly $5 million to local schools.
Since the Teacher of the Year program began in 1995, Wal-Mart has honored more than 25,000 teachers nationwide and donated more than $18.5 million to local schools. The company is one of the largest corporate supporters of teachers and education – last year alone giving more than $57 million in support of educational initiatives.
About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT)
Every week, millions of customers visit Wal-Mart Stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets, and Sam’s Club locations across America or log on to its online store at www.walmart.com. The company and its Foundation are committed to a philosophy of giving back locally. Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) is proud to support the causes that are important to customers and associates right in their own neighborhoods, and last year gave more than $270 million to local communities in the United States. To learn more, visit www.walmartfacts.com, www.walmartstores.com, or www.walmartfoundation.org.