Big Lots Raises $3.2 Million for Nationwide Children’s Hospital

October 31, 2018  by Laurie Northington in Community / Charitable Support, Industry   

The "Serve Families. Give Big" campaign included all 1,416 Big Lots stores and over 35,000 Big Lots associates working to collect over $3.2 million dollars in customer donations.  

"Our team of dedicated associates and Big Lots' customers from all over the country responded generously with donations to make a difference in the lives of families and children across the country,” said Tim Johnson, chief administrative officer and CFO at Big Lots. “In just over three years, our teams have raised over $17 million dollars through our point of sale campaigns with 100% of all proceeds raised going directly to Nationwide Children's Hospital."

"Big Lots and their customers from all over the country continue to demonstrate their kindness following another successful campaign," said Steve Testa, president, Nationwide Children's Hospital Foundation. "This generosity will impact all the patients and families who will walk through Nationwide Children's Hospital's doors for years to come."  

In addition to its financial commitments and support, Big Lots has partnered with Nationwide Children's Hospital to create the Butterfly Run. The goal of the family-fitness event is to end the stigma often associated with childhood mental illness, as well as raise funds for much needed child and adolescent behavioral health research. Two Butterfly Runs have already taken place, including one in Columbus, Ohio, during the summer and another in Charlotte, N.C., earlier this fall. The third and final Butterfly Run of 2018, will occur in the Phoenix/Tempe area on Nov. 3. 

In 2016, Big Lots and the Big Lots Foundation announced a $50 million transformational gift to Nationwide Children's to construct the Nationwide Children's Hospital Big Lots Behavioral Health Pavilion. Scheduled to open in Spring 2020, the Pavilion will be a freestanding facility fully dedicated to children and adolescents with behavioral health conditions and will be the largest behavioral health treatment and research center on a pediatric medical campus in the United States.