Houston-based retailer expanding reach of its literacy advocacy in
2016
THE WOODLANDS, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Furniture and specialty home goods retailer Conn's, Inc. (NASDAQ: CONN),
today announced it is activating its Conn's Cares philanthropic program
for the second year. The Company is partnering with First Book and
Little Free Library — organizations that have been recognized by the
Library of Congress for their excellence in the advancement of literacy
— to expand the literacy focus of Conn's Cares.
As part of the 2016 Conn's Cares program, the Company will donate more
than $100,000 worth of new books to children living in low-income
communities through First Book and distribute more than 50 Little Free
Libraries to select communities it serves across Conn's 12-state
footprint.
This will be the second year of Conn's partnership with First Book, a
nonprofit social enterprise that provides books, school supplies and
other resources to help children in need learn. Conn's will work with
First Book to facilitate reading parties at schools and orchestrate an
in-store program that distributes books to local children in every
market the Company serves. Conn's will also donate furniture to create
reading nooks in select schools.
Reading parties have a special place in the history of Conn's, going
back to when the Company's employees and founder would regularly read to
children in the schools of Conn's founding city of Beaumont, Texas.
2016 is the first year of Conn's partnership with Little Free Library,
an organization that works to connect communities through reading.
Conn's is purchasing and distributing the libraries — small, handcrafted
houses that are posted in communities to encourage the exchanging of
books.
"Conn's has a tradition of giving back, and the Conn's Cares program
provides us with a great opportunity to further connect with the
communities we serve and promote the importance of reading to children,"
said Norm Miller, President and CEO, Conn's. "We are proud to partner
with First Book and Little Free Library to continue and build upon this
great program."
The 2016 Conn's Cares program will kick off in April in McAllen, Texas,
with the first book reading party and Little Free Library donation.
About Conn's, Inc.
Conn's is a specialty retailer currently operating approximately 100
retail locations in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi,
Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee
and Texas.
Conn's primary product categories include:
-
Furniture and mattress, including furniture and related accessories
for the living room, dining room and bedroom, as well as both
traditional and specialty mattresses;
-
Home appliance, including refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers,
dishwashers and ranges;
-
Consumer electronics, including LED, OLED, Ultra HD, and
internet-ready televisions, Blu-ray players, home theater and portable
audio equipment;
-
Home office, including computers, printers and accessories.
Additionally, Conn's offers a variety of products on a seasonal basis.
Unlike many of its competitors, Conn's provides flexible in-house credit
options for its customers in addition to third-party financing programs
and third-party rent-to-own payment plans.
Conn's was included in Fortune magazine's 2015 list of the fastest
growing companies and was named a 2015 Hot Retailer by the National
Retail Federation.
About First Book
First Book is a nonprofit social enterprise that has distributed more
than 150 million books and educational resources to programs and schools
serving children from low-income families through the United States and
Canada. By making new, high-quality books available on an ongoing basis,
First Book is transforming the lives of children in need and elevating
the quality of education. For more information, visit firstbook.org
or follow the latest news on Facebook and Twitter.
About Little Free Library
Little Free Library is a 501c3 nonprofit organization with a mission to
connect neighborhoods around the love of reading by placing free book
exchanges worldwide. Currently, the organization is working to increase
the number of Little Free Libraries in the United States and around the
globe, including an initiative to place 100,000 of their book exchanges
across America by the end of 2016. To learn more about the Library of
Congress recognition and how to be involved in the Little Free Library
mission please visit: www.littlefreelibrary.org.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160324005257/en/
Conn's, Inc.
Jamie Pierce, 936-206-3154
Source: Conn's, Inc.
News Provided by Acquire Media
