ATLANTA, March 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Aaron's, Inc.
(NYSE: AAN), a lease-to-own retailer specializing in the sales and
lease ownership of furniture, consumer electronics, home appliances
and accessories, will mark the 10th anniversary of
devastating Hurricane Katrina by dedicating Wednesday, March 18, as a day of service to
New Orleans-area communities in
need.
More than 2,000 managers from Aaron's will participate in 15
community outreach activities while in New Orleans. This is the seventh year in a row
that Aaron's associates will transform the Company's annual
national managers meeting into a city-wide giving initiative.
Across New Orleans, Aaron's is
investing $260,000 in product and
monetary donations and 4,000 hours of service to seven non-profit
organizations. As part of this effort, Aaron's will present the
Boys & Girls Clubs of America (www.bgca.org) with a check for
$70,000 from funds raised during a
Company-wide associate campaign.
Aaron's Founder Charlie
Loudermilk instilled a culture of giving by establishing a
national store giving program in 1999. The 87-year-old
Loudermilk made a surprise appearance at the Aaron's National
Managers Meeting and encouraged a large crowd of store managers to
"give Aaron's 100 percent every day and to fully support Aaron's
new CEO John Robinson."
This year's efforts are focused on the continued rebuilding of
New Orleans following the 2005
damage inflicted by Hurricane Katrina. Aaron's held its National
Managers Meeting in New Orleans
that year just months before the storm hit New Orleans.
"We are proud to continue the long-time Aaron's tradition of
giving back to the community, and there is no city more deserving
than New Orleans," said Aaron's
CEO John Robinson. "Our employees
join forces today with seven community organizations to demonstrate
our ongoing commitment to this community, its people and our many
customers and employees."
During the "Aaron's Gives" events in New Orleans, 500 Aaron's associates will team
with Hands on New Orleans to clean
and repaint Behrman Stadium, the 77-year-old stadium that is shared
by several area schools. Although the stadium was renovated and a
new synthetic turf field was installed in 2011, the remainder of
the structure has been showing its age. The stadium exterior
will get a coat of fresh beige paint, while the interior handrails
are to be painted black.
In addition to those events, Aaron's managers are contributing
their time and gifts to the following community
organizations: New Orleans Mission; Grace House; Boys and Girls Clubs of
Southeast Louisiana; Second
Harvest Food Bank; Muscular Dystrophy Association of Louisiana; and The Blood Center.
See Aaron's Associates in action
giving back to the community at http://youtu.be/F9mFG65MlzU.
About Aaron's, Inc.
Aaron's, Inc. (NYSE: AAN), a
leader in the sales and lease ownership and specialty retailing of
furniture, consumer electronics, home appliances and accessories,
currently has more than 2,100 Company-operated and franchised
stores in 48 states and Canada.
Aaron's was founded in 1955, is headquartered in Atlanta and has been publicly traded since
1982. Progressive Leasing, a wholly owned subsidiary and leading
virtual lease-to-own company, provides lease-purchase solutions
through approximately 15,000 retail locations in 46 states.
Aaron's, Inc. includes the Aarons.com, ShopHomeSmart.com and
ProgLeasing.com brands. For more information, visit
www.aarons.com.
Video - http://youtu.be/F9mFG65MlzU
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130826/CL69318LOGO
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SOURCE Aaron's, Inc.