Bob's Discount Furniture Kicks Off "Celebrate the Arts Contest"

Furniture World Magazine

Bob's Discount Furniture, the fast growing furniture retailer in the northeast, with stores in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island, kicked off its "Celebrate The Arts Contest," which will award a $3,000 grant for cultural arts assemblies for the 2007-2008 school year to a winning school from each of the seven states with Bob's Discount Furniture locations. "In many schools, fine arts programs and cultural arts assemblies are the first targets when budget cuts must be made. For many other districts, these programs are often non-existent," said Bob Kaufman, president, Bob's Discount Furniture. "My Bob's Discount Furniture supports the importance of these programs in your child's education and wants to put the arts back in your school." Bob's Discount Furniture will provide one winning elementary or middle school in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island with a $3,000 grant for cultural arts assemblies for the 2007-2008 school year. Elementary and middle school teachers, administrators, parents, guardians and community members may register their school to have a chance to win the award by simply filling out a questionnaire form. One school from each state will be randomly selected based on questionnaire criteria showing the need for this support. All appropriate assemblies along with dates and times will be selected by the winning school and Bob's Discount Furniture. All schools grades kindergarten through eight are eligible to enter this contest; no purchase necessary. To enter the "Celebrate the Arts Contest," visit www.mybobs.com and fill out the entry form or send a postcard with your name, address, school's name, school's address and phone number to "Celebrate The Arts", c/o Cathy Poulin, Bob's Discount Furniture, 428 Tolland Turnpike, Manchester, CT 06040. All entries must be postmarked by September 25, 2007. The contest will end on September 30, 2007. The seven winning schools will be announced on or before Monday, October 15, 2007. Last year, the "Celebrate The Arts Contest" received thousands of online and mailed entries from parents, students, teachers and school administrations throughout the United States. The winning schools were Pleasant Valley Elementary School, South Windsor, CT; Collicot School, Milton, MA; Searsport Elementary School, Searsport, ME; St. Mary Academy, Dover, N.H; and Memorial School, Maywood, N.J. Cathy Poulin, pubic relations director, Bob's Discount Furniture, said, "Last year, our winning schools were able to offer more arts enrichment programs, broadening their students' artistic knowledge and experiences. The principals from last year's winning schools told us that without the funding from our ‘Celebrate the Arts Contest,' they would not have been able to afford these opportunities. We hope the ‘Celebrate the Arts Contest' raises awareness about the importance of arts and culture programs in a school's annual curriculum." About Bob's Discount Furniture The fast-growing furniture retailer with 30 stores located throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island, Bob's Discount Furniture has built strong brand awareness and customer loyalty through its unique shopping environment, customer service commitment and everyday low prices. First-time visitors are pleasantly surprised by the comfortable atmosphere and vast selection of quality furniture that surpasses their "discount" expectations. As a part of the overall shopping experience, many of the locations have complimentary cafés featuring gourmet coffee, fresh baked cookies and candy, while other locations offer home theater and video arcade entertainment. Known for their unique style of television and radio advertising, Bob Kaufman, president, and Cathy Poulin, public relations director, have been inviting customers for over a decade to "Come on down". For more information, visit www.mybobs.com. About Bob's Discount Furniture Charitable Foundation Through the Bob's Discount Furniture Charitable Foundation and its many charitable contributions and sponsorships, Bob, Cathy and all of Bob's Discount Furniture employees support hundreds of nonprofit organizations. Among the many supported charities are Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters, American Cancer Society, March of Dimes, Salvation Army Marshall House Youth and Family Emergency Shelter, National Conference for Community Justice, American Red Cross, Connecticut Children's Medical Center and many more. In March 2006, Poulin participated in the "Dance for a Cause" competition in Hartford to raise money and awareness for the National Pajama Program and Lil' Iguana's Children's Safety Foundation. Poulin was also awarded Woman of the Year for 2006 by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. For more information about the foundation and Bob's Discount Furniture, visit www.mybobs.com.