Best Buy on Wednesday was named the largest St. Jude Thanks and Giving® campaign donor for the 2016 holiday season. Through generous customer donations made in its stores and online over three months, the company raised more than $18.2 million to support the life-saving work of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®.
“It’s incredible to see the life in that hospital and see what St. Jude does every day,” said Paula Baker, Best Buy’s chief human resources officer and executive sponsor of the company’s Thanks and Giving campaign. “To think that we were a small part of that work at St. Jude is very humbling, and very rewarding. We could not be more grateful for the relationship we have created with St. Jude.”
To celebrate this milestone, Best Buy welcomed Richard Shadyac Jr., president and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Employees joined Shadyac and Baker on Wednesday at the corporate campus in Richfield, Minnesota, for a conversation about the four-year partnership between the organizations.
“Partnerships like the one we are privileged to have with Best Buy allow us to keep our foundational promise that no family receives a bill for treatment, travel, housing or food,” Shadyac said. “It also gives us confidence to dream and plan about how we can help even more kids and families, both in the U.S. and around the world.”
Attendees of the event heard directly from a patient and family cared for at St. Jude. They also watched Best Buy unveil a surprise: A prominent meeting and event space at the company’s headquarters was named the St. Jude Theater, in honor of the organization’s special place in the company’s philanthropic focus.
“As a mom, I feel even more of a connection to our partnership with St. Jude because of the help we can give families when they are going through the most difficult times,” said Best Buy employee Suzanne Hilker. “As an employee, I’m proud to work for a company that is committed to giving back to our communities. And through St. Jude, our customers can also participate in making a difference.”
Best Buy has participated in the Thanks and Giving campaign since 2013. By welcoming customers to give in stores and online, the company has raised nearly $40 million to support the life-saving work done at the hospital, which freely shares breakthroughs and treatments with doctors around the world.