Photo courtesy: Gustavo Miranda
Walmart and Sam’s Club presented 20 Walnut Avenue Elementary teachers with $50 gift cards for school supplies on Nov. 17.

By Monique Valadez

CHINO– Twenty teachers from Walnut Avenue Elementary received $50 gift cards to purchase supplies for their classrooms thanks to Walmart’s annual Teacher Rewards Program.

These funds come at a critical time, as many teachers will spend an estimated $1,000 of their own money to ensure their students have the supplies they need to learn throughout the school year, Walmart officials stated in a press release.

“I am thrilled that our Walnut teachers have this wonderful opportunity to win gift cards to purchase classroom supplies for their students,” Walnut Avenue Elementary School Principal Karen Morales said. “Thank you Walmart and Sam’s Club for your generous contribution to our school.”

This year, local Sam’s Club employees selected Walnut Avenue Elementary School to receive $1,000 in gift cards to be awarded to teachers. The school was selected from among 35 schools in Chino Valley district because of the school’s need and dedicated staff, officials said.

“The [Walnut Avenue Elementary] teachers are amazing as is the principal,” said Sam’s Club Marketing Leader Gustavo Miranda, who presented the 20 teacher’s with gift cards on Nov. 17 in the school’s library. “As soon as they heard me say that we wanted to give them gift cards for their classroom supplies, their jaws dropped. It was an emotional presentation with one teacher almost in tears. We know we made the right choice.”

For the past six years, Walmart has donated over $4.5 million in reward cards to approximately 90,000 teachers across the United States to help offset the cost of classroom expenses.

“We are proud to honor our community’s teachers, who give time and often their own money to ensure our students have everything they need to be successful throughout the school year,” Miranda said.

More than 5,000 U.S. Walmart stores, Distribution Centers and Sam’s Club locations are eligible to select one local public school, grades K-8, and provide reward cards to 20 teachers from each selected school. Winning teachers can use the funds to purchase essential items for their classrooms such as paper, folders, binders, pencils, crayons and markers.

“At Walmart, we are dedicated to supporting our nation’s teachers by providing support and resources needed to continue educating the future leaders of our community,” Miranda added.

The Teacher Rewards program is an extension of Walmart’s ongoing support of local initiatives that help students, teachers and families better prepare for their future including programs like Breakfast in the Classroom, Fill the Bus and Farm to School.