ABC's "The Scholar" Sponsored by Wal-Mart  6/5/05

Wal-Mart is Leading Sponsor of New TV Series Debuting June 6

BENTONVILLE, Ark., June 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Wal-Mart is a leading sponsor of a new unscripted, reality TV series, which will be the first prime-time show ever to celebrate higher education as the ultimate American prize. 

Filmed at an actual university, "The Scholar" follows 10 high school seniors who compete for a full scholarship and all college-related expenses. The first episode of this six-week series airs June 6 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central and Pacific on ABC. Wal-Mart is providing students secondary scholarships throughout the series as they compete in areas of academics, leadership, creativity and community service, while facing oral exams and defending themselves to an Ivy League scholarship committee. Wal-Mart is one of the largest contributors to education in the United States, having provided more than $100 million already in scholarship assistance alone to students and schools across the country. 

"Wal-Mart believes in helping others reach a better quality of life," said Betsy Reithemeyer, vice president of Corporate Affairs and executive director of the Wal-Mart & SAM'S CLUB Foundation. "We also see education as a gateway to success that can be achieved for those who try, no matter the obstacles. 'The Scholar' is a natural fit with our own values and philosophy, and is why we made the decision to work with ABC as a major sponsor." 

Wal-Mart announced this week it will provide more than $6.9 million in community scholarship grants to students this summer in communities where its 3,700 stores and SAM'S CLUB are located. Student awards for the Sam Walton Community Scholarships, presented by the Wal-Mart & SAM'S CLUB Foundation, range from $1,000 to $25,000. The name of each local and state Walton Community Scholarship winner can be found under their state and hometown at http://www.walmartfoundation.org under "Community Scholarships." 

Wal-Mart's partnership with "The Scholar" is based on providing actual scholarships to students on the show, as well as merchandise and advertising support. In addition, Wal-Mart's online advertising support includes a microsite on ABC.com. The microsite features a tour of a virtual dorm room outfitted with merchandise from Wal-Mart and Walmart.com that is shown during "The Scholar." More information about Wal-Mart's charitable giving per state and other initiatives can be found at http://www.walmartfacts.com . More information about the Wal-Mart and SAM'S CLUB Foundation is available at http://www.walmartfoundation.org .

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) operates Wal-Mart Stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets and SAM'S CLUB locations in the United States. Internationally, the company operates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Korea and the United Kingdom. The company's securities are listed on the New York and Pacific stock exchanges under the symbol WMT. Online merchandise sales are available at http://www.walmart.com .

SOURCE Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. 

Web Site: http://www.walmart.com http://www.walmartfacts.com http://www.walmartfoundation.org