Walmart 1999 Annual Report Download - page 14

ead this story with one eye on
the big picture – more than
$131 million in donations to
the Children’s Miracle
Network (CMN) over 11 years,
more than $127 million in
total community contributions in fiscal
1999 alone, and on and on ...
But from another viewpoint, this is a
small story – the story of individual
Wal-Mart associates who, over and
over, across America and around the
world, go the extra mile to help their
communities, and their customers, in
their hours of need.
Most of all, perhaps, this is the story of
3-year-old Luke Harbur (pictured
above right), an active, happy child
who is alive today thanks in large part
to a miracle – the Children’s Miracle
Network, that is.
Luke was only six weeks old when he
was diagnosed with Alagille Syndrome,
a rare disease that can lead to liver
failure. At 11 months he underwent
liver transplant surgery, performed at
Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas
City, in partnership with the trans-
plant program at the University of
Kansas Medical Center.
Today, at 3 going on 4, Luke will need
regular treatment for the rest of his
life, but his prognosis is good and to
the outside eye, he seems like what he
is – an active, happy toddler.
That would have been quite enough for
Luke’s parents, Kim and Nate Harbur
of Overland Park, Kan., except that the
process of getting – and waiting for –
Luke’s liver transplant sensitized them
to the importance of organ donations.
And they’re doing something about it,
through the non-profit Gift of Life
Foundation, whose mission is to edu-
cate the public about organ donation.
“This experience has changed our lives
forever, and we’re only trying to do the
same for families like ours,” said Kim
Harbur. Nate Harbur added, “We feel
indebted to Wal-Mart. It’s the things
their people do that make this possible.”
Wal-Mart became the exclusive retail
sponsor of CMN Champions, the net-
work’s fund-raising campaign, in 1988.
Since then, thanks to the ideas, efforts
and contributions of our associates and
customers, Wal-Mart has raised more
than $131 million for the CMN – $27 mil-
lion in 1998 alone.
The CMN contribution, though, repre-
sented only about one-fifth of
Wal-Mart’s charitable contributions of
more than $127 million last year. Our
Community Matching Grants totaled
more than $42 million, and other con-
tributions went to the United Way,
scholarships, grants for economic
development and the environment,
awards to top teachers and public offi-
cials, and more.
14
R
Teacher of the Year
Environment
Make A Difference Day
Economic Development
Other Donations
Holiday Charitable Contribution
Scholarships
United Way
Store Contribution Accounts
Children’s Miracle Network
Community Matching Grants
Total
$1,135,500
1,574,961
2,400,000
2,429,840
3,442,800
4,527,106
8,000,000
14,500,000
19,979,016
27,000,000
42,150,894
$127,140,117
U.S. CONTRIBUTIONS
U.S. CONTRIBUTIONS
GOOD NEIGHBORS
TO A NATION
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
WAL-MART ASSOCIATES, WORKING ONE-BY-ONE ON PROJECTS
PLANNED AT THEIR OWN STORES, ADD UP TO THE LARGEST
CHARITABLE FUND-RAISING FORCE IN THE UNITED STATES.