
Walmart associates at the Walmart #640 store on Woodruff Road kicked off the Children's Hospital Miracle Campaign on May 1.
Note: Meet our newest staff member, Dianne Dillon! She works with Dania, Zach and Jenn on the annual giving team, and she’ll be joining us as bloggers. We hope you enjoy hearing her stories, including the one below, as much as we do!
Around our offices the next few months is about corporate Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN Hospitals) Campaigns. At the end of April, Children’s Hospital of Greenville Hospital System celebrated with Walmart and Sam’s Club associates their success for the 2011 Miracle Campaign and kicked off the 2012 campaign. With over 40 Walmart and Sam’s Club stores in the district, a whopping $639,000 was raised to support the GHS Children’s Hospital in 2011.
Walmart and Sam’s Club associates heard a Miracle Family’s story (the Thompson family). Christy Thompson (mom) shared with us her daughter Neely’s story and what Children’s Hospital meant to her family. The powerful presentation ended with very few dry eyes and a celebration of life, partnership and awards to stores that grew their campaign the most through various fundraising efforts. To top it all off, they received a tour of Children’s Hospital that they had just heard so much about.
At the beginning of May, I had the opportunity to go to a Walmart store Kick Off. Each associate had written on a balloon what the Children’s Hospital CMN Hospitals campaign meant to them. Once outside the balloons were released and the air was filled with the colorful balloons. It was very festive! One associate shared her story of how her family was touched by the support from CMN Hospitals and how her grandchild is alive today because of the wonderful doctors and nurses in our area. This was truly a grateful associate and patient family. It reminded me why I got back into the fundraising field.
Before this Miracle Campaign, I didn’t realize how much Walmart partners with the community. It was an inspiration to me to see how involved the stores managers and associates rally around the Miracle Campaign. To be a Walmart cashier and ask EVERY shopper coming through their line if they will donate to the campaign and not to get discouraged at the varied responses, what a testimony to the dedication to their campaign.
I know the next time I’m asked by an associate of Walmart to support Children’s Hospital, I will be saying “YES!” to helping the children in our community! What will your response be?

