Rent-to-own News - Rent-A-Center donates furnishings, funding to Utica teen center

Representatives from Rent-A-Center presented more than $6,800 in furnishings and electronic merchandise, as well as a $1000 check, to Utica Safe Schools Healthy Students program today.

Rent-A-Center gave students involved in the Utica Safe Schools Healthy Students after-school advantage program another reason to check out The Underground Café Teen Center – a complete makeover.

Representatives from the local Rent-A-Center today, visited The Underground Café to present a $1,000 check and unveil the more than $6,800 of new furnishings, electronics, and appliances. In attendance were The Underground Café teen participants, Utica Safe School Healthy Students officials, and community leaders, including Assemblywoman RoAnn M. Destito.
 
Utica Safe Schools Healthy Students administers the after-school advantage programs provided at The Underground Café Teen Center. The Café endeavors to transform the experiences and perceptions of Utica teens by creating venues for leadership, creative expression, and civic engagement.

The student-run cafe incorporates art space and community center, hosting youth-initiated and organized activities such as art exhibits, leadership courses, open mic nights, break dancing lessons, homework help, jazz concerts, social change workshops, and panel discussions. It is run entirely by volunteers Thursdays-Saturdays and a seven-member youth board drives the programs which serve over 100 disadvantaged teens in the area.
 
Rent-A-Center’s donation to the The Underground Café Teen Center includes two high definition flat-screen televisions, an X-Box, PlayStation III and Nintendo WII video gaming systems, couches, pub-style dining tables, entertainment center, armchairs, a refrigerator, air conditioner, and stereo equipment. The additional $1,000 donation will help fund purchases of additional items and materials for the programs.
                                        
“Recently I had the opportunity to visit The Underground Café and to talk with the young participants of its programs,” said Assemblywoman Destito (D/WF-Rome). “The enthusiasm the club members have for this program truly impressed me.  It definitely fills a need in our community for young people who need a place to relax, learn, or to show their creative side.”
 
“The Underground Café has been in progress for over four years. We moved from the basement of Blessed Sacrament Church to the Westminster Presbyterian Church – we are no longer underground,” said Anne Lansing, executive director, Utica Safe Schools Healthy Students. “We created a warm, safe, creative space full of positive energy and purpose. Though many donations of used furniture were collected, this donation from Rent-A-Center provided the finishing touch. Our renovated space, new furniture, and state-of-the-art equipment, show teens that they deserve good things and we care about them and their future.  Without the support of elected officials such as Assemblywoman Destito and businesses like Rent-A-Center, we could not have made this dream come true.”
 
 In New York, Rent-A-Center operates 178 stores including one in Utica. The company also operates a national product service center in Liverpool, where a team of specially trained technicians services merchandise on rent.

“We assist people in making their lives more manageable, even if they have limited resources, which helps them build better lives for themselves and their communities,” said Cathy Skula, regional director, Rent-A-Center. "Rent-A-Center’s community outreach philosophy and its business model share a common thread: Both strive to make the lives of everyday Americans more manageable."

mevans@rtohq.org