Arkansas' first lady, Ginger Beebe (far left), is on hand as Wal-Mart gives the nonprofit Save the Children a $25,000 donation.
Wal-Mart’s $25,000 donation to Save the Children on Tuesday will help the nonprofit boost its child literacy programs for kids in poverty-stricken communities of rural Arkansas.
Representatives from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of Bentonville presented Arkansas First Lady Ginger Beebe with a check on Tuesday at the Central Arkansas Library System’s Main Library in downtown Little Rock.
Beebe is chair of Save the Children’s literacy council in Arkansas. Joining her were students from Pine Haven Elementary School in Bauxite, one of 13 schools in rural areas of Arkansas that receive assistance from the organization.
According to the retailer, Wal-Mart, through Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Sam’s Club and the Walmart Foundation, gave $57.8 million in charitable donations to Arkansas organizations last year. Worldwide, Wal-Mart’s charitable donations totalled $958.9 million, according to Erica Jones, senior manager with Wal-Mart Corporate Affairs.
Save the Children estimates that more than 27 percent of Arkansas children live in poverty with insufficient access to tools necessary to succeed in school. It serves more than 4,400 school children in Arkansas.
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