Seven schools in seven states win money for cultural arts programming

(Manchester, CT) September 21, 2009 – Bob's Discount Furniture, through its Bob’s Outreach program, announced today the winners of its annual Celebrate the Arts contest.  In an effort to support and maintain dance, music and the arts in schools this year, Bob's Outreach is awarding $35,000 in cultural grants to deserving schools throughout the Northeast.  

This year, Bob’s Discount Furniture received thousands of submissions from parents, students, teachers, administrators and community members.  In each of the seven states where the company operates (CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, RI) Bob’s Outreach has selected one K-12 school to win a $5,000 grant to be used for cultural arts assemblies during the 2009-2010 school year.  As part of the contest, each winning school will get a special delivery from Bob’s TV personality, Cathy Poulin who will award the grant and visit with students and faculty.

This year’s lucky winners are:

•    St. Casimir School, Hooksett, New Hampshire
•    Sussex Avenue  School of Art & Science, Newark, New Jersey
•    Worcester Arts Magnet School, Worcester, Massachusetts
•    Nathan Hale Ray Middle School, East Haddam, Connecticut
•    Cumberland High School, Cumberland, Rhode Island
•    Sherwood Heights School, Auburn, Maine
•    St. Augustine, Ossining, New York

“Arts and cultural programming is an essential part of our curriculum,” said Laura Shaw, principal of Sherwood Heights Elementary School in Auburn, Maine.  “With this wonderfully generous grant from Bob’s we’re able to honor the importance of the arts, enabling our talented and dedicated art and music teachers to further enhance our current programs.

"It’s so important to find ways to get art and cultural education programming into our schools.  At Bob’s we want to help provide positive and enjoyable educational experiences for youth, and with many school budgets being cut, this year our support is needed more than ever.  We’re thrilled to award these grants, giving the winning schools an opportunity to put $5,000 to work in support of programs of their choosing," explained Cathy Poulin, TV personality and public relations director, Bob's Discount Furniture.

For more information about Bob’s Discount Furniture, its Charitable Foundation and Bob’s Outreach, please visit www.mybobs.com.  

About Bob's Discount Furniture
Named the 2008 Furniture Retailer of the Year, with 35 stores located throughout New England, New Jersey and New York, Bob's Discount Furniture has built strong brand awareness and customer loyalty by providing quality furniture at everyday low prices, combined with a unique and enjoyable shopping experience. First-time visitors are pleasantly surprised by the comfortable atmosphere and vast selection of fashionable and affordable furniture that surpasses their "discount" expectations. As a part of the overall shopping experience, many locations have complimentary cafés featuring gourmet coffee, fresh baked cookies and candy, while other locations offer home theater and video arcade entertainment. For more information, visit www.mybobs.com.

About Bob's Discount Furniture Charitable Foundation
Through the Bob's Discount Furniture Charitable Foundation and Bob’s Outreach program, Bob Kaufman, Cathy Poulin and all of Bob's Discount Furniture employees support hundreds of nonprofit organizations with sponsorships and charitable contributions.  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 and Connecticut Children's Medical Center.  For more information about the foundation and Bob's Discount Furniture, visit www.mybobs.com/charity.