Cause Marketing/ Community Programs

WASHINGTON — The National Retail Federation has announced a major year-long campaign to help support the retail industry and the jobs it helps create. A centerpiece of the campaign – which will include lobbying, grassroots, advertising, social media, earned media and more – is www.RetailMeansJobs.com, an interactive web site and action center designed to encourage engagement on behalf of the retail community’s agenda.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target announced that this fall it is investing more than $50 million in education. The donation will fund programs such as Target School Library Makeovers, Take Charge of Education and a series of education grants and awards that will provide the resources needed to help students and teachers excel, the company reported.

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — OfficeMax announced the fifth anniversary of its A Day Made Better program to support teachers. Through the program, OfficeMax will surprise 1,000 teachers on Oct. 4 with $1,000 each worth of school supplies. 

The beautiful people were out in force Saturday night in Southern California to party and support the fundraising efforts of the Motion Picture and Television Fund. The organization hosts an annual “Evening Before” event that precedes the Emmy Awards, which were held Sunday night and is modeled after the “Night Before” fundraiser, which precedes the Academy Awards.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Kmart announced that it is launching the Latina Smart Fund in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month. Promoted through Kmart's Latina Smart Facebook page, the Latina Smart Fund will award $25,000 in scholarships to graduating high school seniors and/or students currently enrolled in college, technical or trade schools.   

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores on Wednesday launched initiatives intended, it says, to help women around the globe in the next five years.

The retailer has spent the last year developing a plan -- with help from both governmental and non-governmental organizations and philanthropic groups -- which will direct $20 billion over a five- year period on goods and services from U.S. businesses owned by women, as well as double the amount it pays women-run suppliers overseas.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target announced that it has donated $60,000 to assist with Texas wildfire relief efforts. A $25,000 cash donation was made to the American Red Cross with the additional cash and product donations made to other nonprofit organizations in the Texas area.

Target teams provided 12,000 bottles of water, 3,600 bottles of Gatorade, and 500 boxes of snacks to Bastrop Public Works yard last week, along with donations of clothes, diapers, toiletries and bedding to support wildfire relief efforts, the company reported.

Some priceless publicity to cement Target’s image as the cool place to shop came courtesy of The New York Times this week. The newspaper reported on and featured a video on its website of the retailer’s back-to-college efforts, which included chartering busses to ferry thousands of kids to its stores at 66 campuses nationwide.

ITASCA, Ill. — Supervalu's Jewel-Osco chain announced that it will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with its fourth annual VIP reception to honor the culture and significant achievements of the Hispanic community. The signature event, "Sabor de la Herencia Hispana," will be held Sept. 14, at the National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th Street, Chicago, from 6 to 9 p.m.  

NEW YORK — Macy's announced that it has partnered with Latina magazine and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with special events and once-in-a-lifetime internship opportunities.