The annual “Juntos Por La Educación” (Together for Education) fundraising campaign that takes place each fall in the PriceSmart clubs in the countries where Aprender y Crecer operates is an important source of funding for the program. More than that, it is a prime example of PriceSmart, its Members, PriceSmart Foundation, and Price Philanthropies Foundation coming together to support education.
The campaign that took place in the fall of 2023 set a new record of more than $2.2 million in donations collected from PriceSmart Members at the cash registers as well as through PriceSmart.com. Price Philanthropies Foundation committed to match these donations dollar for dollar up to a maximum amount for each country—yielding an additional $850,500—bringing the grand total raised to nearly $3.1 million.
“It gives us enormous pride and satisfaction knowing that as a team, Members and employees, we have surpassed the amount of donations collected last year, which reflects our continuous commitment to our communities,” remarked Juliana Correa, Senior Vice President of Membership, Marketing and Communications for PriceSmart.
This year, Aprender y Crecer will provide school supplies and educational materials to more than 150,000 students and 7,500 teachers in 280 public schools in Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama. If the program were ranked according to enrollment among the largest public school districts in the United States it would rank 16th, just ahead of Dallas, Texas.
Donations and matching funds raised in a certain country are invested in the schools participating in Aprender y Crecer in that country, for things like reading books given to each child, literature collections for school libraries, school furniture, equipment, and professional development for teachers. Aprender y Crecer also provides workshops for parents, designed to promote reading in the home. Another important aspect of this campaign is that 100% of donations from Members go toward supplies and materials that are donated to the students, teachers and schools that participate in the program.
“It has been heartwarming to see the response of our Members to this benevolent cause, which in no small part has been the result of the positive interactions and influence from our employees,” commented John Hildebrandt, President and Chief Operating Officer of PriceSmart.
“As a company operating in diverse markets, we pride ourselves on making a positive impact in the communities we serve. This record-breaking campaign will no doubt impact the lives of deserving persons and organizations and reflects our demonstrated commitment to give back to the communities who have so loyally supported PriceSmart.”
John Hildebrandt
President and Chief Operating Officer of PriceSmart
