Miracle Makers: Walmart & Sam's Club

Outstanding Support by a CMN Sponsor

For nearly two decades, Walmart and Sam’s Club stores have partnered with children’s hospitals to help improve comfort and care for patients and their families across the nation. As a Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) sponsor, Walmart and Sam’s Club stores have raised more than $2 million for Golisano Children’s Hospital at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

The avid sponsors’ propensity to give continues to grow. In recent years, our 14 local Walmart and Sam’s Club stores have gone above and beyond to help Golisano Children’s Hospital, reaching or exceeding a gift of $200,000 to the hospital each year. Their successful fundraising ventures have made the group of Walmart and Sam’s Club stores the largest fundraising group for Golisano Children’s Hospital by leaps and bounds.

Excitement for children’s hospital fundraisers permeates Walmart and Sam’s Club stores, especially during May’s Miracle Month, which the hospital’s avid supporters have extended into a six-week period that goes into the middle of June and takes the form of various fundraising activities. Managers and employees do a variety of in-store fundraising including hot dog sales in the summer months, raffles, walks and CMN balloon sales.

Wally Straight has been emblematic of this energy and enthusiasm among Wal-Mart employees. Straight, a Walmart greeter in Canandaigua and grandfather of 13, collected donations for Golisano Children’s Hospital and raised $266,058 in just seven years.

 “The great thing about this group is that the associates get so excited to help out,” said Betsy Findlay, associate director of Golisano Children’s Hospital’s Office of Advancement. “Whether it is answering phones at the Drive for Miracles Radiothon and CMN Telethon or raising funds in the store, they are committed and enthusiastic.” Findlay added that a lot of associates have had children or grandchildren who have been treated by Golisano Children’s Hospital, which heightens their eagerness to help support the hospital.

Golisano Children’s Hospital is delighted to honor such a devoted partner for this year’s CMN Miracle Maker Award. Local Walmart and Sam’s Club stores give to Golisano Children’s Hospital through CMN, a non-profit organization that raises funds for more than 170 children’s hospitals across the nation.

“We are honored to receive this award,” said Tim Bernard, regional market manager for Walmart. “We are proud to support the Golisano Children’s Hospital, which plays an essential role in providing world-class quality care for the community’s children.”