I want to thank Rent-A-Center for their continued generosity and support.
Byron W. Brown, Mayor, Buffalo, New York

Photo/Rent-A-Center

New York State Senator Antoine Thompson, Xavier Dominicis, vice president, public affairs, Rent-A-Center, Buffalo Mayor Bryon Brown, Nadia Moore, executive director of the Delavan Grider Community Center and Buffalo Common Council Member Demone Smith.

In celebration of National Literacy Month and as part of the company's Random Acts of Caring program, Rent-A-Center (NASDAQ:RCII) co-workers from Western New York donated more than $8,500 to Mayor Byron W. Brown's Reading Rules! 2009 Kids Summer Reading Challenge program. Rent-A-Center also donated more than $8,500 in computers, electronics and furniture to the Delavan Grider Community Center to help enhance its many educational and recreational programs offered to inner city residents. Rent-A-Center was alerted to the needs of the Delavan Grider Community Center by longtime community champion New York State Senator Antoine Thompson.

Rent-A-Center's donation to the Reading Rules! 2009 Kids Summer Reading Challenge includes $4,500 in college scholarships for program participants. Also, more than $4,000 of the latest video gaming systems, including Nintendo Wi systems, Microsoft Xbox systems and Sony Playstations will be awarded to children who took part in the 2009 program. Children participating in the Reading Rules! Kids Summer Reading Challenge program are required to read seven books over the course of the summer and write a brief summary on each. This is the second year in a row that Rent-A-Center has made a donation to the Reading Rules! 2009 Kids Summer Reading Challenge.

"I want to thank Rent-A-Center for their continued generosity and support," said Mayor Brown. "Their donations to both the Delavan Grider Community Center and my Reading Rules program have provided many of our local students with state-of-the-art technology to enhance their education. The Random Acts of Caring program has been a positive addition to my Administration's many educational endeavors, and I thank Rent-A-Center for providing these students with the tools they need to succeed."

Delavan Grider Community Center has been serving the youth of the East Side of Buffalo for more than eight years, providing recreational, educational, health and job training programming services for children, adults and seniors. The Center currently serves more than 3,000 people weekly who are looking for an enjoyable, educational and comfortable place where they can improve upon their quality of life. The Community Center is also home to the Citizens Alliance Inc., and the Delavan Grider Block Club Council.

Rent-A-Center's donation to the Delavan Grider Community Center includes eight personal computers, high-definition televisions, video-game systems, furniture sets and entertainment centers. The computers will be used by the Community Center youth for educational and recreational purposes. Buffalo's Educational Opportunity Center will utilize the computers to provide job training for adults.

"I'm proud to be able to connect local businesses with our communities," said Senator Thompson. "These generous contributions will enhance the experience of youth and seniors that utilize the Delavan Girder Community Center, improving access to information and educational attainment."

"We are extremely grateful to Rent-A-Center for helping us fulfill our mission to the community," said Nadia Moore, executive director, Delavan-Grider Community Center. "This donation from Rent-A-Center far outreaches its monetary capacity by helping the center to help build a community of self-sufficient individuals. We are especially grateful to Senator Antoine Thompson for contacting Rent-A-Center on our behalf."

"Rent-A-Center's community outreach philosophy and its business model share a common thread," said Xavier Dominicis, vice president, public affairs, Rent-A-Center. "Both strive to make the lives of everyday Americans more manageable,"

In New York, Rent-A-Center operates 178 stores including 45 in the Western New York and 15 in the City of Buffalo. The Company also operates a national product service center in Liverpool, where a team of specially trained technicians services merchandise on rent.