OfficeMax Partners With Adopt-A-Classroom For 'A Day Made Better,' Driving
Community Action To End $4 Billion 'Teacher-Funded Classroom' Spend
NAPERVILLE, Ill., Oct. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- One thousand teachers at 1,000
schools across the United States will be surprised with in-class ceremonies
featuring more than $1 million worth of donated school supplies (nearly
$1,200 worth per school) on October 2, as OfficeMax(R) Incorporated (NYSE:
OMX) kicks off its "A Day Made Better" campaign to eliminate
"teacher-funded" classrooms. Due to budget shortfalls, teachers are now
forced to spend nearly $4 billion annually out of their own pockets (an
average of $1,200 per teacher) for basic classroom supplies. To call
attention to this issue, more than 4,000 OfficeMax associates -- working
secretly with 1,000 principals to ensure the element of surprise -- will
honor 1,000 teachers in 1,000 schools with donations to the schools of
much-needed supplies at 10:00 a.m. on October 2, in one of the largest
single-day school advocacy campaigns to date.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to:
http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/officemax/29720/
"It's astounding that teachers have to reach into their own wallets to
buy billions of dollars worth of basic school supplies -- markers, posters
and pencil sharpeners," says Bob Thacker, senior vice president of
marketing for OfficeMax. "Our October 2 'A Day Made Better' campaign has
one message: it's time to act together so that our teachers can focus on
educating our children, without worrying about where their basic classroom
supplies will come from."
To execute "A Day Made Better," every one of OfficeMax's retail stores
and distribution centers are collaborating with a principal for at least
one community school from Los Angeles, Denver and Seattle to Boston, Miami
and New York, and hundreds of other cities. Selected by OfficeMax's
non-profit partner, Adopt-A-Classroom (http://www.adoptaclassroom.org), the
principals have nominated one teacher at each of the 1,000 schools who
exemplify a passion for learning and innovative classroom techniques. And
-- until October 2 -- none of the 1,000 teachers will know they've been
chosen to be honored.
"Outside of the home, the teacher is the primary influence on our
children," said Jamie Rosenberg, Founder and Executive Director of
Adopt-A-Classroom, which has raised more than $6 million on behalf of
classrooms since its inception. "In spite of increasing demand for
qualified teachers, 50 percent of our teachers quit within their first five
years due largely to a lack of support. On October 2, OfficeMax's 'A Day
Made Better' campaign will begin the process of rallying parents, local
governments and businesses to eliminate teacher-funded classrooms by giving
teachers the support they deserve."
"Community participation is key to resolving this resource crisis --
OfficeMax alone can't bring all the support teachers need," adds Carolynn
Brooks, vice president, diversity and inclusion for OfficeMax. "Today, we
challenge everyone to show their support for just one teacher in their
community and, together, let our teachers know that we will not fail
them in their mission to educate our children."
OfficeMax and Adopt-A-Classroom are also raising additional funds for
local teachers, urging OfficeMax customers to make a donation to
Adopt-A-Classroom at its retail stores, where, for a minimum $2 donation,
consumers will receive a limited edition magnetic picture frame as a gift.
For more information about A Day Made Better, visit
http://www.officemax.com.
About OfficeMax
OfficeMax Incorporated (NYSE: OMX) is a leader in both business-to-
business office products solutions and retail office products. The
OfficeMax mission is simple. We help our customers do their best work. The
company provides office supplies and paper, in-store print and document
services through OfficeMax ImPress(TM), technology products and solutions,
and furniture to consumers and to large, medium and small businesses.
OfficeMax customers are served by approximately 35,000 associates through
direct sales, catalogs, e-commerce and more than 900 stores. To find the
nearest OfficeMax, call 1-877-OFFICEMAX. For more information, visit
http://www.officemax.com.
OfficeMax Media Contact
William Bonner, 630-864-6066
Jennifer Rook, 630-864-6057
- or -
Heather Schwartz, Maccabee PR, 612-247-9365
Paul Maccabee, Maccabee PR, 612-337-0087
OfficeMax Investor Contact
John Jennings - 630-864-6820
SOURCE OfficeMax Incorporated
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.officemax.com
http://www.adoptaclassroom.org
http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/officemax/29720
CONTACT:
Media, William Bonner, +1-630-864-6066, or
Jennifer Rook, +1-630-864-6057, both of OfficeMax Incorporated;
or Heather Schwartz, +1-612-247-9365, or Paul Maccabee,
+1-612-337-0087, both of Maccabee PR, for OfficeMax Incorporated;
or, Investors, John Jennings, +1-630-864-6820
|
