Sam Walton was the founder of the tremendously successful retail chain, Wal-Mart. In addition to his business accomplishments, Walton supported various charitable causes, including those of his church, the Presbyterian Church. The Sam and Helen R. Walton Award was created in 1991 when the Waltons made a gift of six million dollars which included an endowment in the amount of three million dollars to provide annual awards to new church developments that are working in creative ways to share the Christian faith in local communities.