[May 22, 2018] |
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Walmart Reaches 5th Anniversary of Veterans Welcome Home Commitment with Announcement of More than 200,000 Veteran Hires
Today, Walmart announced it has hired more than 200,000 veterans and
promoted more than 28,000 to roles of greater responsibility since
launching its Veterans Welcome Home Commitment five years ago.
Recognizing the important skills and leadership abilities veterans
possess, the commitment helps veterans find career opportunities at
Walmart and aims to ease the sometimes difficult transition from active
duty to civilian life. Walmart is now more than 80 percent of the way to
reaching its goal of hiring 250,000 veterans by 2020.
In May 2013, Walmart introduced the Veterans Welcome Home Commitment
which guaranteed a job offer to any eligible, honorably discharged U.S.
veteran who was within 12 months of active duty. Walmart's initial goal
was to hire 100,000 veterans by the end of 2018. In May 2015, Walmart
revised its goal to hire 250,000 veterans, including veterans hired
within the Welcome Home Commitment as well as other veterans hired by
Walmart, by the end of 2020. Walmart also changed the eligibility under
the Welcome Home Commitment from within 12 months of active duty, to any
veteran who has been honorably discharged since the announcement of the
commitment in May 2013.
"At Walmart, we recognize our veteran associates and leaders as
tremendous resources across the company," said Retired Brigadier General
Gary Profit, senior director of military programs for Walmart. "Our
veterans bring dedication and value to our workforce, and we feel a
great sense of duty to ensuring our men and women in uniform can find
not just a job, but a fulfilling career, here at Walmart and beyond."
In addition to its commitment to hire veterans, Walmart wants military
family members to have the opportunity to build long-lasting careers.
Walmart's Military Family Promise guarantees a job at a nearby
Walmart or Sam's Club for all military personnel and military spouses
employed by the company who move to a different part of the country
because they or their spouse have been transferred by the U.S. military.
Walmart also participates in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Hiring Our
Heroes Program, recruiting veterans and military spouses through career
fairs.
Building on an existing $469,000 grant to Boston University's, Women
Veterans Network (WoVeN), the Walmart Foundation brings its total
commitment to nearly $720,000 with an additional $250,000 grant to the
program to continue strengthening the initiative. WoVeN is a nationwide
system of peer support groups that connects women veterans from all
conflict eras and Service branches and provides them with information,
education and resources to improve their qality of life. Over the past
40 years, the number of women serving in active duty military has grown
rapidly, with women currently representing about 15 percent of the armed
forces. As the number of female service members continues to expand,
there is also a growing need to address the unique needs of women
veterans.
"Before joining WoVeN, I had no idea how to connect with other women
veterans. I had been out of the military for more than 20 years and was
trying to cope with major life issues all alone," said Tina Brice, U.S.
Marine Corps Veteran and WoVeN participant. "My journey with WoVeN began
just over a year ago, and I had no idea something so simple could be so
life changing. Thanks to WoVeN, I have connected with other women
veterans nationally and locally, developed new healthy hobbies like
mountain biking and completing my first 5K, decreased the stress in my
life and reconnected with family and friends. I am so grateful to WoVeN
and the Walmart Foundation for empowering me with an opportunity to take
my life back."
"WoVeN is designed to be a community for women veterans regardless of
when they return from active military service and to help them form
lasting connections with other women veterans both within their
individual communities and around the country," said Tara Galovski, PhD,
Director of the Women's Health Sciences Division of the National Center
for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System, WoVeN director and Boston
University School of Medicine Associate Professor of Psychiatry. "We are
incredibly grateful to the Walmart Foundation for the support they've
given to this project from day one and are proud to continue our
partnership to provide ongoing support for the women who have sacrificed
so much to serve us."
Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have a long history of supporting
veterans, service members and their families. In 2011, Walmart and the
Walmart Foundation committed $20 million by 2015 to support veterans and
their families with assistance for programs that provide job training,
transition help and education. With the early completion of the
commitment in May 2014, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation renewed the
commitment, announcing an additional $20 million through 2019 to support
job training, education and innovative public/private community-based
initiatives that address challenges many veterans face when returning to
civilian life.
For more information about Walmart's commitment to veterans, service
members and military families, please visit: http://www.walmartcareerswithamission.com/
or http://corporate.walmart.com/global-responsibility/veterans-military-families/
and follow Walmart on Twitter (News - Alert) @WalmartToday.
*Editor's Note: These projections and reported hires/promotions
include veterans hired under our original and expanded Welcome Home
Commitment as well as other veterans hired by Walmart in this time
frame. While we think it is particularly important to support soldiers
as they make the transition to civilian life, Walmart believes all
veterans deserve our respect and support, no matter when they left
active duty.
About Walmart
Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and
live better - anytime and anywhere - in retail stores, online, and
through their mobile devices. Each week, over 260 million customers and
members visit our more than 11,600 stores under nearly 60 banners in 28
countries and eCommerce websites. With fiscal year 2017 revenue of
$485.9 billion, Walmart employs approximately 2.3 million associates
worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate
philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about
Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com,
on Facebook (News - Alert) at http://facebook.com/walmart
and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180522005571/en/
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