Local Walmart is tops raising money for Riley

The Walmart store in Shelbyville has raised so much money for the Riley Hospital for Children, it got a new banner color to mark the occasion.

“We were just awarded a platinum banner for $51,030 (raised) last year,” said staff member Dawn Gilles.

That figure made the local store the top Walmart in Indiana and sixth in the nation for raising money to help sick children and their families, she said.

And the fundraising effort is ongoing.

From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, volunteers from the local Walmart will be at the corner of Harrison and Mechanic Streets for a “roadblock” to raise money for Riley Hospital.

And there will be a craft fair fundraiser at the local store on Sept. 29.

“Booth space is available,” said Kathy Stafford, like Gilles a long-time employee at the local Walmart.

In 1987, Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, committed his stores to the cause of raising money for the Children’s Miracle Network, a charity organization that supports hospitals for children, such as Riley Hospital in Indianapolis.

To date, the company as a whole has raised $1 billion for the Children’s Miracle Network.

Gilles and Kathy Stafford at the local Walmart Supercenter, 2500 Progress Parkway, said they couldn’t do it without their customers and local businesses which support them.

Darold Dagley, a greeter at the store, collects for the effort by “Rocking for Riley” as he was on Wednesday. He said people tell them how much the fundraising means to them.

“We hear a lot of testimonies,” said Dagley, from folks who’ve been helped by Riley Hospital.

The fundraising effort goes on throughout the year, but now they’re in their big six-week push to raise money, said Gilles.

Anyone interested in participating in the upcoming craft fair fundraiser on Sept. 29 may contact the local store for more information at 317-392-4140.