DECATUR - On Oct. 1, the Decatur High School athletic department got a healthy fi nancial boost from Walmart’s transportation office in the form of a check for $4,376.81. The Bentonvillebased transportation offi ce #6801 made the donation to the school as part of their Private Fleet truck drivers safety program.

For one week, Aug. 10 through Aug. 16, the fleet drivers operated “extra carefully” to raise money for a school within their region.

A statement released by Walmart said, “For every accident-free mile they drove during that week, the Walmart Foundation will make a fi nancial contribution to local schools selected by nearby transportation offi ces. The Walmart Foundation donates one cent for every accident-free mile driven by the drivers at each Walmart transportation offi ce.”

Each transportation offi ce receives a donation from $1,000 to$5,000, depending upon the local drivers’ safety performance.

“During last year’s program, Walmart transportation offi ces nationwide contributed more than $130,000 to schools in their communities,” a Walmart release stated.

Bob Dixon, general transportation manager at Bentonville Walmart Distribution Center #6801, stated, “This is just one of the many ways Walmart supports education across the country. It’s also a great way to engage all of our drivers in raising money for our local schools.”

In addition to raising money for local schools, the program sends a message to Walmart drivers nationwide, Dixon explained. “This program serves as a great reminder that children are returning to classes and all drivers need to use extra caution and be on the lookout for school buses and school children,” he said.

According to the Walmart release, “Walmart Private Fleet is one of the largest in the UnitedStates with its more than 11,000 associates, including nearly 7,200 drivers, supporting more than 4,400 Walmart and Sam’s Club locations in the U.S.”

Over a year ago, one of the local Walmart drivers recommended the Decatur School District as a recipient of this project.

Decatur High School principal, Deborah Coffer, contacted the Walmart Foundation and transportation department offi cials about the various programs offered to local schools. In addition to the $4,376.81 donation by the transportation department, the Walmart distribution center donated $2,500 in monetary funds and $3,000 in teacher and school supplies to the Decatur School District. Coffer stated, “This was definitely a great example of Walmart’s commitment to giving back to the local community.”

These funds will go toward the development of a new soccer field. The new soccer fi eld will be located in the open area just west of Bulldog Stadium. Atpresent, discussion of a possible partnership between the city of Decatur and the Decatur School District for the soccer field is in the works.

Decatur Athletic Director John Unger was very pleased with the donation.

“We are excited about the Walmart donation,” Unger said. “We are currently trying to raise funds for a new community playing field, and these funds will go towards that project. This project is estimated to cost us $40-50,000, and we are hoping to raise the funds before the year’s end and begin work on the new fi eld. The new field will be for the youth sports, physical education class, our sports teams at the high school, and the community. The Walmart Foundation donation will help tremendously with this project.”

News, Pages 1 on 10/09/2013