Wal-Mart and its Foundation have been strong supporters of Special Olympics Programs in the United States through community grants, in-kind support and employee engagement for many years.
In 2008 alone, the Wal-Mart Foundation provided more than $1 million support for 21 local Special Olympics Programs through local grants. The funding from these grants will help support such initiatives as Young Athletes, Healthy Athletes, general health and fitness through sports, local/area/state-level event sponsorship and a summer sports camp.
In addition to its local Program support in 2008, the Wal-Mart Foundation donated $1.6 million to support the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Boise, Idaho. The funds supported a “Greening the Games” initiative by bringing “green” buses into the World Winter Games fleet to provide transportation for athletes, coaches and supporters, as well as by supporting a recycling program at the Games.