The Aaron’s Company, Inc. (NYSE: AAN), a leading omnichannel provider of lease-purchase solutions, and the Aaron’s Foundation announced the renewal of a national partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) that has provided teens across the nation with opportunities to learn, grow and build a great future in a safe environment.
The continued partnership supports Boys & Girls Clubs of America recruitment and retention of teen members and includes the implementation of a Teen Mental Health First Aid program. This new program teaches high school students how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders among their friends and peers. The partnership was renewed for an additional 20 months with an $800,000 commitment and represents a total of $10 million the Aaron’s Foundation has committed to Boys & Girls Clubs of America since 2015.
Over the past six years, Aaron’s has delivered 48 BGCA Club makeovers in cities across the U.S. and most recently in Cleveland and Dayton, Ohio. Each makeover comes with $20,000 worth of merchandise installed by local Aaron’s associates, along with a surprise reveal for teens who are greeted by new electronics, couches, tables and other furniture and decor in a complete transformation of their center.
“Renewing our partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America was important to Aaron’s because we can think of no better way to give deserving teens a safe space to respond and recover from the impact of the ongoing pandemic and reach their full potential,” said Douglas Lindsay, CEO of The Aaron’s Company. “With this new chapter, we will continue to build on a relationship that brings positive change to our young people and our communities.”
The renewal means five new teen center makeovers will take place throughout 2022 and through mid-2023. Aaron’s also will be a Gold Sponsor of Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Keystone Conference, held each summer and attended by thousands of teen leaders from across the country.
“At the time of the commencement of our original agreement with Aaron’s in 2015, we could not have predicted the far-reaching success of our partnership and its lasting impact on our teens,” said Jim Clark, president & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “With Aaron’s support, our Clubs have been remade, lives have been touched and the future is much brighter for many teens across the nation.”
