Miracle Makers: Meet Sugar Momma

Miracle Makers is a series of 30 stories from Walmart and Sam’s Club associates to celebrate the companies’ 30th anniversary of fundraising for CMN Hospitals

Her legal name is Michelle Simms, but she prefers to go by Sugar Momma because of her passion for raising money for Cook Children’s Medical Center.

Michelle only recently of the need children’s hospitals have for donations.

“I never realized there were so many sick babies,” she said. “I just had no idea and now I have made it my mission to help them babies.”

Armed with this knowledge, Michelle has made it her life’s work to raise money to, as she puts it, “help them babies.” In addition to asking customers to donate when they check out at her register, she also hosts associate fundraising events and store barbecues and hands out treats to customers who donate. Throughout the annual fundraising campaign she dons a bright yellow hat with a large balloon attached to it.

“I do this so people will stop and ask me about my hat, and when they do I can ask them to donate,” she said.

One time a customer came through her line and made a $100 donation. She was moved to tears by this generous donation which then prompted the next customer in line to donate $20. Then another and then another. Her emotions overcame her as more and more customers continued the trend of donating $20 or more to the point where she literally passed out from pure joy. When she came to she was shocked to learn that she’d just raised $483, a personal fundraising record for one day.

Michelle’s passion has translated to her store raising $17,500 in one year, with about $14,000 of that estimated to have come from her efforts alone.

Stop in to your local Walmart or Sam’s Club today to meet passionate associates like Michelle and make a donation to your local CMN Hospital while you’re there.