Nine Northeast and mid-Atlantic schools will win a total of $45,000 for arts and cultural programming

MANCHESTER, Conn. – August 13, 2012 – Bob’s Discount Furniture, through its Bob’s Outreach program, today announced that it will award $45,000 in cultural grants to deserving schools across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states through its seventh annual Celebrate the Arts contest – designed to support and maintain dance, music and the arts in schools. Bob’s Outreach is accepting contest entries from Aug. 13 through Sept. 10, and will select nine schools to win $5,000 grants to support cultural arts programs during the 2012-13 school year.

Each year, Bob’s Outreach receives thousands of submissions and randomly selects one K-12 school in each of the nine states (Conn., Maine, Mass., Md., N.H., N.J., N.Y., R.I. and Va.) where Bob’s Discount Furniture stores are located. Following the schools’ selection, the Bob’s Outreach Team visits each winning school to award the grant and visit with students and faculty.

Bob’s Discount Furniture began the Celebrate the Arts contest in 2006 after observing the scaling back of fine arts programs and cultural arts assemblies across many school districts in the communities it serves. “Cultural arts programs are often the first targets for elimination when schools must make budget cuts,” said Cathy Poulin, public relations director, Bob’s Discount Furniture. “Bob’s wants to put the arts back in schools, which is why we are so pleased to continue sponsoring the annual Celebrate the Arts grant program.”

“The generous check we received from Bob’s Celebrate the Arts contest was a wonderful surprise,” said Judith Bassignani, principal of Garvin Memorial School in Cumberland, R.I., one of last year’s contest winners. “This donation enabled us to have a local artist paint a mural in our entryway, buy frames for students’ artwork and assisted our weeklong celebration of reading, which included book giveaways for the students and a performance by the Tanglewood Marionettes.”

Beginning Aug. 13, applicants can enter the contest by filling out a form with their personal contact information, as well as their school’s information. Entry forms can be found online at www.mybobs.com/celebrate_arts and no purchase is necessary. All entries must be submitted by Sept. 10.

About Bob’s Discount Furniture

Bob’s Discount Furniture provides quality furniture at everyday low prices, and a unique and enjoyable shopping experience. All of Bob’s stores feature a complimentary cafe with gourmet coffee, ice cream, fresh baked cookies and candy. Since 1991, Bob’s has built strong customer loyalty by offering a vast selection of fashionable and affordable furniture that surpasses their “discount” expectations. With 43 stores located throughout New England, New Jersey, New York, Maryland and Virginia, the company is committed to supporting communities where its stores are located through Bob’s Discount Furniture Charitable Foundation and Bob’s Outreach program. Bob’s and its staff support hundreds of nonprofit organizations with sponsorships and charitable contributions, and every year the company donates more than $100,000 to schools and more than $1.5 million to charities. To find out more about Bob’s and its charitable programs visit www.mybobs.com, and follow us on Twitter at @MyBobs_Charity and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mybobs.

About Bob’s Discount Furniture Charitable Foundation

Bob’s Discount Furniture Charitable Foundation anchors the charitable work of the entire Bob’s organization. The foundation and Bob’s Outreach program, along with Bob Kaufman, Cathy Poulin and other employees, support hundreds of nonprofit organizations with sponsorships and contributions that annually exceed $1.5 million. For more than 15 years Bob’s has partnered with the American Red Cross in New England to promote blood drives. Other supported charities include Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters, Easter Seals, The Jimmy Fund, American Cancer Society, March of Dimes, National Conference for Community Justice, The Johan Santana Foundation, The Andrus Children Center, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and Special Olympics. For more information about the foundation and Bob’s Discount Furniture, visit www.BobsCares.com.