Local Grants to Police, Fire, Rescue and EMS Organizations On Tuesday, Oct. 7, associates at Wal-Mart stores, distribution centers and SAM'S CLUBS are announcing names of local law enforcement or safety organizations receiving Safe Neighborhood Heroes grants to fund projects that promote community safety. This funding will be put toward items such as smoke detectors for residents in need, materials to establish Neighborhood Watch programs, children's fire safety education efforts, bulletproof vests for law enforcement departments, thermal imaging cameras for firefighters, and jaws-of-life for emergency response teams. (EDITOR'S NOTE: Please contact your local store for details about grants to your community.)

"These organizations are our neighborhood heroes because of their tireless commitment to keep all of us safe," said Betsy Reithemeyer, director of the Wal-Mart/SAM'S CLUB Foundation. Through the company's Good Works community involvement program, the Foundation funds this special grant and many other projects chosen by local store and club associates throughout the year that benefit their hometowns.

Child ID Event

Associates at Wal-Mart stores will also host a special child identification event on Saturday, Oct. 4. The event will provide parents with the following free materials while supplies last:

A child ID card they can fill out with updated information about their children in case of emergency.

A photo of their child they can place in the ID card.

A brochure titled "Knowing My 8 Rules for Safety," which is written for children and sponsored by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), Wal-Mart and SAM'S CLUB.

Parents can contact their local Wal-Mart for specific event times.

The Missing Children's Network

The "Knowing My 8 Rules for Safety" brochures will also be available on a regular basis at the Missing Children's Network boards, which are located immediately inside every Wal-Mart and SAM'S CLUB nationwide. The boards feature pictures of children who are missing around the country and are part of Wal-Mart's ongoing partnership with the NCMEC since 1996. Each month new pictures are posted in an effort to help reunite families with a missing child.

Wal-Mart has a long-standing commitment to children's safety initiatives.

Two out of three missing children pictured on Wal-Mart boards have been recovered.

More than 95 children have been found as a direct result of a customer seeing a child's picture at a Wal-Mart or SAM'S CLUB and placing a call to 1-800-THE-LOST, the hotline for the NCMEC.

Wal-Mart established the Code Adam program in 1994 to reduce the threat of abductions and lost children in stores. Wal-Mart has shared this program with other retailers and public buildings nationwide.

Wal-Mart's Missing Children's Network is endorsed by John Walsh, founder of the NCMEC and host of the popular television show, America's Most Wanted. The Code Adam program is named after Walsh's son, Adam, who was abducted and murdered in 1981.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. was awarded the National Missing Children's Award in May 1998 by the NCMEC.

About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., operates more than 2,936 discount stores, Supercenters and Neighborhood Markets, and more than 532 SAM'S CLUBS in the United States. Last year, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., contributed more than $150 million to support communities and local non-profit organizations. Customers raised an additional $75 million with the help of our stores and clubs. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., has received the 2002 Fortune magazine No. 1 Most Admired Company in the U.S., along with receiving the 2002 Ron Brown Award, the highest Presidential Award recognizing outstanding achievement in employee relations and community initiatives.

More information about Wal-Mart can be located online at www.walmartstores.com and www.walmart.com. The SAM'S CLUB Web site can be accessed at www.samsclub.com. And more information about Wal-Mart's Good Works community involvement is available online at www.walmartfoundation.org.

Associates at Wal-Mart stores, distribution centers and SAM'S CLUBS announce names of local law enforcement or safety organizations receiving Safe Neighborhood Heroes grants.

Contact:
Wendy Sept, 479/204-9457
Sarah Clark, 479/273-4314