Walton Foundation Gives to Fayetteville Boys, Girls Club
by May 27, 2002 12:00 am 84 views
The Walton Family Foundation of Bentonville on May 9 donated $100,000 to the Fayetteville Boys & Girls Club.
Arvest Bank Group Inc.’s Fayetteville branch presented the gift on behalf of the Walton family, who are the heirs of Sam Walton and the Wal-Mart Stores Inc. fortune.
The nonprofit club serves about 3,000 local members who pay $30 in annual dues. It began a $1.85 million capital campaign in early 2001 to establish a restricted maintenance fund that will ensure the future of its new 20-acre campus.
The Fayetteville Boys & Girls Club is building an 88,000 SF facility on its new campus off Wedington Drive that will include three gymnasiums; a swimming pool; three class rooms; two learning centers; a multipurpose room for gymnastics, dance and martial arts; a teaching kitchen; a rock climbing wall; a walking track; a fitness area, professional offices; a conference room; and a child care area.
Before the Walton’s gift, the club had raised 65 percent of its required match, or about $1.2 million. The project is expected to be completed in late summer or fall 2003.
As of last year, the foundation had assets of $987.9 million and annual revenue of more than $137.9 million.
Jim Walton is chairman of Bentonville-based Arvest, which is consolidating its 14 banking operations into its Arvest-Fayetteville charter by June 13.