Big Lots And Its Customers Raise $2.2 Million To Benefit Nationwide Children's Hospital

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Big Lots is presenting a check to Nationwide Children's Hospital for $2.2 million dollars, the amount raised by customers and associates of Big Lots during a five-week national point-of-sale donation campaign.

(Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20011026/BIGLOTSLOGO )

Big Lots offered in-store and online donation opportunities to support Nationwide Children's and the lifesaving research and care that helps children around the country and the world. The program also included shopping sprees for patient champions Morgan Hood and Heaton Masoner at Big Lots stores in Dallas and Tampa. The gifts selected were provided to the hospital for children battling illness and experiencing extended stays.

"Our team of 35,000 associates rallied behind our campaign and Big Lots' customers from all over the U.S. responded generously with donations to make a difference in the lives of children," stated David Campisi, CEO and President of Big Lots. "This is an incredible example of the impact we will have through the Big Lots Foundation, and embodies the giving spirit of the holidays."

Nationwide Children's is one of America's largest pediatric healthcare and research centers, delivering care for more than 1 million patient visits annually. In the last year alone, the hospital has treated children from 49 states and 41 countries while providing nearly $130 million in charity care and community benefit. Patients travel to access lifesaving treatments—many of which are unavailable anywhere else.

"On behalf of our patients, families and staff, we are honored and extremely grateful to Big Lots for this new philanthropic partnership and what it means to our mission to help children everywhere," Steve Allen, MD, Chief Executive Officer of Nationwide Children's Hospital said. We are deeply appreciative to the Big Lots associates and customers who graciously supported the hospital."

To learn more about Big Lots, speak with a company representative or arrange a store visit, contact the Big Lots Media Hotline at 1-877-614-1274.

About Big Lots, Inc. 
Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Big Lots, Inc. BIG is a unique, non-traditional, discount retailer operating 1,463 BIG LOTS stores in 47 states with product assortments in the merchandise categories of Food, Consumables, Furniture, Seasonal, Soft Home, Hard Home, and Electronics & Accessories. Our vision is to be recognized for providing an outstanding shopping experience for our customers, valuing and developing our associates, and creating growth for our shareholders. Big Lots supports the communities it serves through the Big Lots Foundation, a charitable organization focused on four areas of need: hunger, housing, healthcare and education. For more information about the company, visit www.biglots.com.

About Nationwide Children's Hospital
Ranked 9th of only 12 children's hospitals on U.S. News & World Report's 2015-16 "America's Best Children's Hospitals Honor Roll," Nationwide Children's Hospital is one of the nation's largest not-for-profit freestanding pediatric healthcare networks providing wellness, preventive, diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitative care for infants, children and adolescents, as well as adult patients with congenital disease. Nationwide Children's has a medical staff of 1,100 and nearly 10,000 employees providing state-of-the-art pediatric care for one million patient visits annually. As home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children's physicians train the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists. The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital is one of the Top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded freestanding pediatric research facilities. Nationwide Children's remains true to the original mission since its founding in 1892 of providing care regardless of a family's ability to pay. More information is available at NationwideChildrens.org.

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SOURCE Big Lots, Inc.