Walmart and Sam’s Club raised $1,055,461 for the Children’s Hospital Colorado from customers donating at the register and during individual store fundraising campaigns, which marked the first time Colorado raised the most of any state across the nation.
“The money donated this year, it came from the community,” said Chris Bergquist, the local market manager for Walmart, during a check presentation at the hospital Wednesday.
The money is going to the hospital’s Children’s Fund, which is a pool of funds allocated to the greatest need at the time, which could range from research and education to treatment and equipment.
“We are amazed and impressed and surprised and really proud to partner with Walmart and Sam’s Club,” said Kacie Thomas, manager of corporate partnerships at Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation.
Walmart previously donated $1 million for the hospital three years ago but the fundraising dollars had dropped off — until now, Bergquist said. This year, fundraising for the hospital was paused as Walmart took five weeks to fundraise for the South as it recovered from natural disasters. But the total fundraising period for the children’s hospital was still six weeks.
Nationally, Walmart raised more than $34.7 million to support 170 member hospitals.
