Ashley HomeStore Helps Kids Get Back to School with the Gift of Sleep
Without a good night's sleep, children are not at their best, have lower attention spans, and lower performance in school than children with a positive sleep environment," said Christopher Caprio, president of Ashley HomeStore-Jacksonville.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Aug. 11, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- To mark Hope to Dream Day 2019, Ashley HomeStore hosted a "Back to School Bash" for 60 First Coast kids on August 8, 2019 at the historic Ritz Theater and Museum, surprising them with the announcement that a new bed was being delivered just in time for the first day of school.
Since starting in Jacksonville in 2010, Ashley HomeStore's Hope to Dream program is responsible for donating over 80,000 beds nationally and over 2,500 beds locally. In 2016 Mayor Lenny Curry declared August 8, 2016 "Hope to Dream Day" in Jacksonville due to the program's impact to First Coast children.
"We started Hope to Dream in Jacksonville to directly and positively impact children in need in our community. Without a good night's sleep, children are not at their best, have lower attention spans, and lower performance in school than children with a positive sleep environment," said Christopher Caprio, president of Ashley HomeStore-Jacksonville. "Many of the children we serve are already faced with socio-economic, social and/or health and wellness issues. A good night's sleep in a safe bed of their own is a critical step to improving their chances to thrive."
Ashley HomeStore partners with local child-serving organizations to identify families in the greatest need of beds, including MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation, Catholic Charities Bureau, Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation, Daniel Kids, JaxPal, Family Promise of Jacksonville, and the USO, as well as other local charities. Candidates also submit applications online and in local Ashley HomeStore showrooms.
"The MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation (MWYF) is honored to be a part of Hope to Dream Day," says MWYF CEO Terri Florio. "Many of our families live at or below the poverty level. Partnerships such as those with Ashley HomeStore are a vital part of our ability to make a difference in the lives of our children and families."
Hope to Dream events started in Jacksonville in 2013 with the first Stadium Sleepover in partnership with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Ashley HomeStore-Jacksonville continues its long-time partnership to serve the community alongside the Jacksonville Jaguars through "HIT THE SACK," which provides an additional bed to a local child for every Jaguar's sack.
"This year, we chose the historic Ritz Theatre as the venue for the 2019 Hope to Dream Day celebration to expose the children to one of Jacksonville's oldest and most important sources of art and culture," explains Ashley HomeStore-Jacksonville, director of marketing, Tori Fusinaz. "The theatre worked with us to create a meaningful and exciting day for these very special kids and we couldn't be happier with the result."
The children and their parents/guardians, as well as representatives from partner organizations, enjoyed activities, lunch, prizes, face painting, a museum scavenger hunt, and filled backpacks with school supplies before filling up the theatre to watch a movie complete with popcorn and the surprise announcement of their new beds.
Ashley HomeStore partners jumped on board to make the event more memorable for the children via donations, including, Bono's Pit Bar-B-Q, LS Direct Marketing, Brown & Brown, Synchrony Financial, Serta/iComfort, Ashley Sleep, Fifth-Third Bank, Tempur-Pedic, Progressive Leasing, Ashley Sleep and Bedgear.
A portion of the proceeds from every mattress purchase at Ashley HomeStore benefits local children in need. Families in need of beds for children 3-17 should complete an application in any local Ashley HomeStore showroom or online at http://www.ahopetodream.com.
Ashley HomeStore is the #1 furniture and mattress retailer in America and the #1 selling furniture store brand in the World. Ashley HomeStores has five locations in Jacksonville, Florida (St. Johns Town Center, River City Marketplace, Orange Park @ I-295, Glynn Isles Market (Brunswick GA)) and the recent Ashley HomeStore Outlet at Southside and Atlantic Blvds. The retailer is an exclusive provider of furniture from Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc., the largest furniture manufacturer in North America. For more information on Ashley HomeStore and our products, visit our website at http://www.AshleyHomeStore.com.
SOURCE Ashley HomeStore
