Seven Schools in Seven States Win Over $20,000 For Cultural Arts Programming

Elementary Schools In Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island Are Winners In Bob's Discount Furniture's "Celebrate The Arts Contest"

Manchester, CT) -- Today, 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, announced the winning schools in the Bob's Discount Furniture "Celebrate The Arts Contest".  Each school will receive a $3,000 grant for cultural arts programming during the 2008-09 school year.  The winning schools are East Hartford-Glastonbury Elementary Magnet School, East Hartford, Connecticut; St. Anna School, Leominster, Massachusetts; Helen Thompson School, West Gardiner, Maine; Thornton Central School, Thornton, New Hampshire; Maugham Elementary School, Tenafly, New Jersey; Santa Maria School, Bronx, New York; and Kent Heights School, East Providence, Rhode Island.

"It's so vital these days to find ways to support and enrich our children's education experience in light of community budget cuts to school funding.  Often it's the music and arts programs that are eliminated.  Each school will be able to utilize the $3,000 grant according to its priorities for the students," explained Cathy Poulin, TV personality and public relations director, Bob's Discount Furniture. 

"Nestled in a farming community, our school is very thankful for the grant that was so generously given by Bob's Discount Furniture.  My hope is to grow the ‘Destination Imagination' program that we feared would end due to the lack of funds. This enrichment program allows our school to send teams of kids to perform in the theater and problem solving competitions," said Sue Glazier, Helen Thompson School, West Gardiner, ME.  Thanks to Bob's Discount Furniture, our kids will have the opportunity to continue with something that they love".

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 last year were the Thurston Middle School, Westwood, Massachusetts; Kent Heights Elementary School, East Providence, Rhode Island; Sunset Ridge School, East Hartford, Connecticut; Pleasantville Middle School, Pleasantville, New York; Parker School, Middlesex, New Jersey; Warsaw Middle School, Pittsfield, Maine; and the Somersworth Middle School, Somersworth, New Hampshire.  "It will significantly improve our arts and music program here at the school this coming year," said Jon Bownes, principal, Thornton Central School, Thornton, New Hampshire.

The new Bob's Discount Furniture Community Outreach Van  Team is scheduled to visit each school and present the $3,000 grant checks.  The presentation schedule includes:

*Thursday, September 25th, 11 a.m. – St. Anna School, Leominster, Massachusetts
*Friday, October 3rd, 1 p.m. – Thornton Central School, Thornton, New Hampshire
*Wednesday, October 8th, 2:45 p.m. – Kent Heights School, E. Providence, Rhode Island
*Wednesday, October 15th, 10 a.m. E. Hartford-Glastonbury Elementary Magnet School, E. Hartford, Connecticut
*Thursday, October 16th, 11 a.m. – Santa Maria School, Bronx, New York
*Friday, October 17th, 11 a.m. – Maugham Elementary School, Tenafly, New Jersey

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 visit their nearest Bob's Discount Furniture store. 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. 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. In April 2008, Kaufman was presented with the prestigious 2008 Biomedical Achievement Award from the American Red Cross as the "Bob Squad" was recognized for collecting over 20,000 units of blood during its 11 years of promoting blood drives. Other recipient organizations include: Have a Heart Children's Cancer Society, New York; Open Pantry Community Services, Massachusetts; J. Arthur Trudeau Memorial Center, Rhode Island; Family Intervention Services, New Jersey; Manchester Partners in Health, New Hampshire; and the Opportunity Farm, Maine.  For more information about the foundation and Bob's Discount Furniture, visit www.mybobs.com/charity.

(MEDIA NOTE: REPORTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND ANY OF THE GRANT PRESENTATION CEREMONIES AT THE WINNINGS SCHOOLS.  JUST EMAIL CATHY.POULIN@MYBOBS.COM OR RON@DENNISPR.COM FOR DETAILS).