St. Louis-based Rent One kicked off its seventh annual Great Expectations Charity of Choice campaign, once again providing philanthropic grant distributions to a variety of charities across the Midwest.
The annual charity event is driven by voluntary weekly payroll deductions from employees in Rent One’s approximately 100 stores across eleven regions, with pooled donations matched by corporate participation as well as contributions from Rent One’s Larry and Sharon Carrico. The Great Expectations Charity of Choice campaign collected more than $95,000 over the last year for distribution in 2019.
The Charity of Choice campaign will fund grants this year to fourteen charities, four of which are new recipients this year. Returning grant recipients include Camp We We Se Je, CASA of Jefferson County, CASA of Williamson County, Voices for Children, Challenger League Baseball, Boys and Girls Club of Poplar Bluff, River of Hope, Madison County Imagination Library, Shriners Hospitals for Children, and Our Little Haven. New donation recipients for 2019 include Kentucky State Police Trooper Island, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Kansas City, Special Learning Center, and Whiz Kids Oklahoma.
The Charity of Choice campaign donations will be used to meet a variety of specific charitable needs, including camp scholarships; recruiting, training and supervising volunteers; expanding and improving facilities; and purchasing new equipment, books, and computers. Grants this year range from $5000 to $10,000 per charity.
This year’s Charity of Choice campaign received significant attention in the local press and news channels, including the Centralia Mt. Vernon Sentinel and the Jefferson City News Tribune.