Coastal Carolina University received a $13,750 donation from area Walmart stores during its annual back to school pep rally event on Friday, Aug. 19, 2022, at the Myrtle Ridge Drive location. CCU and Walmart have partnered to host this event for more than 10 years.

Donations were collected from several area Walmart stores, and the store managers presented a check to CCU President Michael T. Benson and the University’s LiveWell staff during the event. This contribution will benefit the LiveWell office’s health initiatives at CCU.

“This year’s donation is the biggest ever, and we’re very grateful for that,” said Benson. “You walk into this store here in Conway and it’s Coastal Carolina. The banners, the flags, the merchandise. They’re all in, and we’re really grateful for the partnership.”

LiveWell’s focus is on the nine dimensions of wellness - physical, emotional, social, financial, occupational, cultural, spiritual, intellectual, and environmental – and encouraging the University’s students, faculty, and staff to live healthy lifestyles.

Marguerite O’Brien, director of the LiveWell office, said she is grateful for Walmart’s donation and excited about the possibilities it will provide for CCU students during the 2022-2023 academic year.

“This year, we have a new service,” O’Brien said. “We have a confidential advocate. We really want to spend time working with students about healthy relationships: what they look like and what they don’t look like, how to avoid getting into an unhealthy relationship, other resources we have on campus. We also have a recovery community on campus for students who are in recovery, so we’ll be able to use some of these funds for that as well as educating students on stress management, sleep hygiene, how to communicate effectively with roommates, and things of that nature. We want to keep students connected in mind, body, and spirit with the nine dimensions of well-being.”

Walmart employees and local business representatives welcomed new and returning CCU students and families during the event, which featured giveaways and live appearances from Chauncey, the Chanticleer Girls dance team, and the Chanticleer Regiment marching band. Walmart staff wore teal and assisted families in finding the essentials they needed as they moved their students into their residence halls this weekend, including CCU merchandise, cleaning products, snacks, televisions, vacuum cleaners, and more.

CCU’s Move-in Day is typically one of the busiest days of the year for the Myrtle Ridge Walmart location. The shopping day historically rivals the location’s Black Friday.

Click here to learn more about LiveWell’s mission and services.