Bob's Discount Furniture Initiates Its New Community Outreach Van

Furniture World Magazine

Bob's Discount Furniture, the fastest growing furniture retailer in the northeast, with stores in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island, unveiled its new community outreach van while announcing immediate plans for the van to visit seven schools in the northeast that have won a $3,000 grant for cultural arts programming in the Bob's Discount Furniture "Celebrate The Arts Contest". "We developed the idea about a community outreach van about a year ago after realizing that it could help coordinate our charitable foundation's efforts even more effectively. Our outreach van will enable us to work with even more nonprofit groups on a more frequent basis. From child and senior citizen support programs to wheelchair and educational supply campaigns, the Bob's Discount Furniture Outreach Van will be on the road constantly performing random acts of kindness and making our community a better place one stop at a time," said Bob Kaufman, president, Bob's Discount Furniture. Next week, the new Bob's Discount Furniture Community Outreach Van will be visiting the seven schools that will be awarded a $3,000 grant for cultural arts programming and also donating valuable school supply resources as well. The schools and the schedule is as follows: - Thursday, 10/18, Thurston Middle School, Westwood, Massachusetts, 10:45 a.m . - Thursday, 10/18, Kent Heights Elementary School, East Providence, Rhode Island, 2 p.m . - Friday, 10/19, Sunset Ridge School, East Hartford, Connecticut, 1 p.m. - Monday, 10/22, Pleasantville Middle School, Pleasantville, New York, 1 p.m. - Tuesday, 10/23, Monday, 9/15, Parker School, Middlesex, New Jersey, 11 a.m. - Thursday, 11/1, Thursday, Warsaw Middle School, Pittsfield, Maine - Friday, 11/2, Somersworth Middle School, Somersworth, New Hampshire . Bob's Discount Furniture TV personalities Cathy Poulin and William Newton will be making ongoing appearances with the outreach van throughout the year. Spontaneous stops will be made almost every other week at senior citizen centers, community healthcare facilities and other destinations throughout the northeast. "I feel I am the captain that is about to embark on many a journey to aid those in need. A simple smile goes a long way," said Poulin. Maureen Hughes, principal, Parker School, Middlesex, NJ, stated, "The whole school is excited about greeting the community outreach van and the Bob's team. There are less and less funds in the budget for extra programs for the students these days. Our PTO is wonderful in raising a certain level of dollars for school activities. Now, with this cultural arts grant we will be able to bring to the students, we are already planning a possible music and story telling assemblies as well as an interactive dance program." 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. 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.