CHCI, Wal-Mart Announce New Congressional Internship Program Partnership

Wal-Mart Donates $1 Million to Create Year-Round Opportunities for Latino Undergraduates

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), the nation’s premier Latino youth leadership development and educational organization, today announced the addition of fall and spring semesters to its Congressional Internship Program. The new semesters are made possible by a $1 million donation by Wal-Mart over a period of three years.

CHCI’s Congressional Internship Program currently operates in the summer, providing hands-on work experience in Congress for 30 Latino college undergraduates. Wal-Mart’s support allows CHCI to double the number of Latino youth who have the opportunity to work on Capitol Hill throughout the year during twelve week sessions in the fall and spring semesters. The first new class of congressional interns will be in Fall 2010.

“CHCI is very excited to work with Wal-Mart to increase the number of young Latinos who can experience working in Congress and learn first-hand how laws are made and how they as individuals can impact their communities and the nation,” said Esther Aguilera, CHCI President & CEO. “Many internships are unpaid, limiting the number of Hispanics that complete internships in Congress. This partnership will increase the pipeline and address Hispanic under-representation by doubling our capacity to offer these once-in-a-lifetime paid internships. These individuals will be the Latino leaders of tomorrow and we are excited to partner with Wal-Mart in this important endeavor.”

“At Wal-Mart, diversity is not just something we talk about, it’s who we are,” said Raymond Bracy, senior vice president for U.S. government affairs for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. “As a global company, we expect diverse backgrounds, experiences and opinions in our board room, our stores and clubs and among our business partners. After all, the communities we serve are a reflection of the diversity that exists throughout the United States- representing many races, cultures and languages. We are pleased to partner with the CHCI to expand leadership development opportunities for young Latino and Latina college student’s work on Capitol Hill as that will prepare them for future leadership.”

CHCI’s Congressional Internship Program places college undergraduates in Congressional offices where they are responsible for conducting extensive legislative research, monitoring day-to-day hearings, managing constituent communications and assisting with general office matters. Additionally, interns participate in weekly CHCI leadership and professional development sessions and meet with corporate representatives, national elected officials and foreign dignitaries. Interns are provided with housing, roundtrip transportation to and from Washington, D.C., and a stipend.

“Internships on Capitol Hill are an important part to getting your career started in Washington, D.C.,” said Miguel Ayala, 1998 CHCI Congressional Intern and current communications director for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. “CHCI’s summer program has proven to be successful in getting more Latinos on the Hill, and expanding those opportunities year-round will only help that success grow exponentially.”

About Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), a nonprofit and nonpartisan 501(c) (3) organization, provides leadership development programs and educational services to students and young emerging leaders. The CHCI Board of Directors is comprised of Hispanic Members of Congress, nonprofit, union and corporate leaders. For more information call CHCI at (202) 543-1771 or visit www.chci.org.

About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT)
Every week, millions of customers visit Walmart Stores, supercenters, Neighborhood Markets, and Sam’s Club locations across America or log on to its online store at www.walmart.com. The company and its Foundation are committed to a philosophy of giving back locally. Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) is proud to support the causes that are important to customers and associates right in their own neighborhoods, and last year gave more than $296 million to local communities in the United States. More information about Walmart can be found by visiting www.walmartstores.com. Online merchandise sales are available at www.walmart.com.