Sam's Club and Takamine Team to Raise Funds for Walden Woods Project

Sam's Club and Takamine Team to Raise Funds for Walden Woods Project

Eagles Autographed Guitars Top Holiday Exclusives

BENTONVILLE, Ark., Nov. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Samsclub.com and Takamine guitars have teamed up to raise funds for the Walden Woods Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the land, literature and legacy of 19th century writer/philosopher Henry David Thoreau, America's premier advocate for environmental conservation.

(Logo:

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061030/DAM037LOGO)

Sam's Club will exclusively offer a limited quantity of Takamine guitars, hand-signed by the Eagles -- Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Joe Walsh, and Timothy B. Schmit -- online at samsclub.com for $2,500. All proceeds will benefit the Walden Woods Project headquartered near Boston, MA. The organization is leading the fight to preserve historic Walden Woods, widely acknowledged as the birthplace of the American conservation movement. Walden Woods served as the inspiration for Thoreau's writings that were fundamental to the development of the American land ethic and guided the creation of the U.S. National Parks system. In addition to its conservation initiatives, the Walden Woods Project offers a variety of environmental programs for students and teachers. The organization recently launched an international initiative that engages students from the U.S. and abroad in wide ranging environmental discussions and guides them in undertaking stewardship projects in their own communities.

"Long Road out of Eden was packaged with sustainability in mind and the sale of these autographed guitars on samsclub.com will further our efforts to protect Walden Woods, to educate and motivate the next generation of conservationists, and to bring to light the importance of environmental stewardship," said Eagles band member Don Henley.

Since its Oct. 30 release, Long Road Out of Eden has sold more than 1 million copies exclusively through Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores and on-line. The album itself reflects the band and Wal-Mart's shared commitment to environmental sustainability, with packaging that features Domtar EarthChoice(R) papers. To ensure paper is sourced from well-managed forests, EarthChoice papers are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), publicly endorsed by the Rainforest Alliance and supported by World Wildlife Fund and Forest Ethics. This unique CD package contains 30 percent post-consumer recycled fiber, and virgin fiber from FSC Certified forests or other controlled sources.

"This is a gratifying partnership for us. We can help preserve an environmental legacy while offering Sam's Club Members a piece of music history," said Doug McMillon, President and CEO Sam's Club.

For more information on how to benefit this green cause by purchasing one of the limited Eagles autographed Takamine guitars, visit samsclub.com, http://www.eaglesband.com/ or http://www.takamineguitars.com/. A Sam's Club Membership is required to purchase online at samsclub.com. Annual membership fees range from $35 to $100.

About the Eagles

The Eagles -- Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Joe Walsh, and Timothy B. Schmit -- have sold more than 120 million albums worldwide and have won four Grammy Awards. Their "Greatest Hits 1971-1975" is the best-selling album of all time, exceeding sales of 29 million units. The band's "Hotel California" and "Their Greatest Hits Volume 2" have sold more than 16 and 11 million albums, respectively. The Eagles were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

About Sam's Club

Sam's Club is a division of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., (NYSE:WMT). The first Sam's Club opened its doors in Midwest City, Okla., in 1983. Today, Sam's Club serves more than 47 million U.S. Members with locations nationwide, and in Brazil, Canada, China, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Sam's Club offers exceptional values on merchandise and services for business owners and consumers. Online merchandise and Club information is available at samsclub.com.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: pauline.tureman@wal-mart.com
Web sites:

http://www.samsclub.com

http://www.walmartstores.com

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061030/DAM037LOGO
AP Archive:

http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Sam's Club

CONTACT: Susan Koehler, +1-479-277-8066, Susan.koehler@samsclub.com, or
Kristy Reed, +1-479-277-7021, Kristy.reed@samsclub.com, or Eileen Earley,
+1-312-397-6063, eileen.earley@ogilvypr.com, all of Sam's Club

-------
Profile: intent