Sam's Club(R) Expands Charitable Support of Education and Entrepreneurship

BENTONVILLE, Ark., April 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today, Sam's Club launched Giving Made Simple, an online and social media voting campaign where its members and associates will determine how the company will give $4 million in charitable contributions to programs dedicated to youth education and entrepreneurship. This is the first campaign of its kind in the warehouse club industry and part of an $18.5 million charitable giving fund at Sam's Club.

Watch our video: Sam's Club Makes Giving Simple

Some of the country's leading nonprofit organizations in the education and entrepreneurship space were selected through an application process to participate in Giving Made Simple.

With help from Sam's Club, participating organizations will teach entrepreneurship, financial literacy and job skills to thousands of students, with a focus on girls, at-risk and minority populations; loan millions of dollars and teach important business skills to entrepreneurs both in the U.S. and around the world; and strive to create and maintain thousands of jobs that revitalize communities across the country.

"Giving Made Simple is an exciting addition to our charitable efforts and complements our core business strategy that puts our members first in everything we do at Sam's Club," said Brian Cornell, president and CEO. "We believe that unlocking the potential of entrepreneurs is essential to the prosperity of our economy, and with the help of these leading organizations we are preparing our youth for life-long success and enabling small business owners to thrive and succeed."  

By logging on to samsclub.com/giving, more than 47 million Sam's Club members and 100,000 U.S. associates can vote for their preferred non-profit organization. They are allowed to cast one vote per day for the duration of the campaign, and may vote for the same or different organization each time. These votes will determine what portion of the $4 million donation the organizations will receive. The organization in each category – education and entrepreneurship – that earns the most votes will receive $1 million for first place; $500,000 for second place; and $250,000 for third and fourth place. Every organization is a winner in that they can count on being awarded a minimum of $250,000 from Sam's Club.

To kick off Giving Made Simple, Sam's Club members can vote in all of its locations nationwide on Saturday, April 10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. In addition, Sam's Club will be hosting ceremonial club events at select locations aimed at educating members and Sam's Club associates on the participating organizations' programs. The last day of voting is May 2, 2010 and the winners of the campaign will be announced on May 4. For additional details and regular updates on Giving Made Simple, visit samsclub.com/giving or join Sam's Club on Facebook or on Twitter at @samsclub.

Sam's Club Charitable Giving Programs

Giving Made Simple is a new addition to a long history of charitable contributions made by Sam's Club at both the national and local level. Last year, Sam's Club associates logged more than 113,879 hours to the company's Volunteerism Always Pays grant program, which resulted in $948,000 worth of charitable grants to education, workforce development, environmental and health and wellness focused organizations. Sam's Club also donated more than 38 million pounds of food last year to U.S. food banks through Walmart's partnership with Feeding America; and participates in disaster assistance, events such as the Salvation Army Red Kettle Holiday Drive as well as Children's Miracle Network fundraising.

About Sam's Club

Sam's Club is a division of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT). The first Sam's Club opened its doors in Midwest City, Okla., in 1983. Today, Sam's Club serves more than 47 million U.S. members with locations nationwide, as well as in Brazil, China, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Sam's Club saves its members on average 30.4 percent over grocery and specialty retailers by offering superior values on quality merchandise and services for home or work. Saving is made simple at Sam's Club. Visit samsclub.com for more information.

SOURCE Sam's Club