salvationarmyokc
Teens use the computer lab at The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club new teen room
Teens at The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma’s Boys & Girls Club, 2808 SE 44th St., have a new, positive place to hang out and call their own, thanks to a partnership between Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and Rent-A-Center, Inc.
Teenagers are a tough group to impress, but the new RAC Rooms will help attract more teens by furnishing an active and much-needed new teen center at the Club.
“Across the country, millions of teens grow up with no place to go after school,” said Richard White, executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Oklahoma.
“Many of them have limited contact with positive peers or caring adults. And all too frequently, these young people resort to drugs and violence as an alternative to boredom. The RAC Room will be a comfortable place for teens to enjoy, while exposing them to alternatives to the many negative influences around them.”
The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club RAC Room is one of 20 such centers being furnished by Rent-A-Center this year. Based on its needs, each Club will select several thousand dollars worth of merchandise from a menu of items, such as furniture, computers, game systems, appliances, lamps and TVs.
Rent-A-Center also guarantees a one-year maintenance service on all merchandise provided. The 2010 Rent-A-Center RAC Room program brings the total number of RAC Rooms to 115 since the program began, , awarding approximately $200,000 retail value in merchandise yearly to 20 clubs in 45 states.
“Our club has done a very good job in serving children who are younger than our teens,” said White. “We needed to expand on our services in order to reach the teenagers in Oklahoma City. This is something to attract teens to the Boys & Girls Club and to expose them to the other programs.”
“Rent-A-Center is honored to have been part of this initiative for the last five years with Boys & Girls Clubs of America,” said Mark Speese, Rent-A-Center chairman and CEO. “By creating an inviting atmosphere, the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs RAC Room will offer teen members an experience to look forward to and an incentive to stay in the Club.”
Salvation Army Central Oklahoma 