HOUSTON, Jan. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Conn's HomePlus (NASDAQ: CONN), a specialty retailer of furniture, mattresses, home appliances and consumer electronics, has contributed $174,000 to Step Up For Students, helping 23 deserving Florida schoolchildren access the right education to help them succeed.

This is the first year Conn's HomePlus has partnered with Step Up For Students to contribute to the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program, an income-based scholarship program funded by tax-credited contributions from corporations. The K-12 scholarships allow Florida students to pursue and engage in the best learning environments for their individual needs by attending a private school or public school other than their zoned district school.

A recent study done by the Urban Institute, a Washington, D.C. based think tank, on the effectiveness of the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program found that students on scholarship for four or more years were up to 99% more likely to attend a four-year college than their peers in public school, and up to 45% more likely to earn bachelor's degrees.

"At Conn's HomePlus, we are committed to supporting students and families in the communities where we live and work," said Chandra Holt, Conn's HomePlus President and CEO. "We believe in the mission of Step Up For Students and are excited to partner with them to help provide Florida students the educational options they need to succeed." 

During the 2020-21 school year, nearly 100,000 Florida students benefited from a Florida Tax Credit scholarship administered by Step Up for Students. About 57% of these scholars are from single-parent households and nearly 68% are Black or Hispanic. The average household income of families accepted to receive scholarships is $25,755 – a mere 9% above poverty. More than 1,800 private schools participate in the scholarship program statewide.

"With the support of Conn's HomePlus, even more students in Florida will be given access to the educational environment that works best for them," said Doug Tuthill, President of Step Up For Students. "We are grateful for Conn's HomePlus'  generosity and commitment to helping families and students throughout Florida."

About Conn's HomePlus

Conn's HomePlus is a specialty retailer currently operating 150+ retail store locations in Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

The Company's primary product categories include:

• Furniture and mattress, including furniture and related accessories for the living room, dining room and bedroom, as well as traditional and specialty mattresses;
• Home appliance, including refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers, dishwashers and ranges;
• Consumer electronics, including LED, OLED, QLED, Ultra HD, and internet-ready televisions, gaming consoles, home theater and portable audio equipment;
• Home office, including computers, printers and accessories; and
• At-home fitness equipment, including treadmills, ellipticals and studio cycles.

Additionally, Conn's HomePlus offers a variety of products on a seasonal basis. Unlike many of its competitors, Conn's HomePlus provides flexible in-house credit options for its customers in addition to third-party financing programs and third-party lease-to-own payment plans.

About Step Up For Students
Step Up For Students is a non-profit organization that helps administer the donor-funded, income-based Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program.  The scholarship program provides tuition assistance to the private school of their parents' choice, or financial assistance to offset the transportation cost to an out-of-district public school.  Since 2002, Step Up For Students has awarded more than 1 million Florida Tax Credit Scholarships.

In February 2019, the Urban Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, released results of a study on the effectiveness of the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program, the nation's largest private K-12 scholarship program. The study found that students on scholarship for four or more years were up to 99% more likely to attend a four-year college than their peers in public school, and up to 45% more likely to earn bachelor's degrees.

Step Up also helps administer that state-funded the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities, plus three other scholarships, the income-based Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, the Hope Scholarship for public school students who are bullied, and the Reading Scholarship Accounts for third- through fifth-grade students enrolled in public school who struggle with reading. 

For more information, visit www.StepUpForStudents.org.

The Zimmerman Agency
conns@zimmerman.com, 850-668-2222

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SOURCE Conn's HomePlus