RENT-A-CENTER Supports LICADD'S New Ronkonkoma Office
RONKONKOMA, N.Y. (November 19, 2009) – Representatives from Rent-A-Center stores in Suffolk County delivered and assembled $6,000 in electronics and furniture to the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (LICADD) for the organization’s new offices in Suffolk County (Ronkonkoma) which will now serve more area teens and families in need. The donation is part of the Rent-A-Center’s Random Acts of Caring program. Families that utilize the center joined staff, volunteers and community leaders, including Jim LaCarruba Chief of Staff for New York State Senator Brian X. Foley, at an unveiling ceremony and grand opening of the new office.
Since 1956, LICADD has conducted thousands of alcohol/drug education presentations for schools and community groups, and helped more than 80,000 individuals and families find effective treatment or recovery programs for alcoholism and drug addiction. LICADD’s programs and services are funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions and available to all in need. The agency provides screening, brief interventions and referrals to treatment for individuals and families struggling with alcohol and other drug-related problems, as well as a variety of relapse prevention programs. LICADD remains the only non-profit on Long Island providing professionally facilitated addiction interventions and a family education series for those living with an addicted loved one. In recent months, LICADD has become the central local resource for families impacted by the dramatic increase in heroin use among Long Island’s teens.
Rent-A-Center’s donation to the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence included four laptop and four desktop computers for the office; and a sofa with a set of end tables to create a welcoming reception area in the new location. The $2,000 donation will help fund the various prevention education programs offered which include Footprints for Life program for second and third grade students; Parent-Child Communication Workshops; and anti-drug educational programs for PTAs, civic associations, high schools and colleges.
“The generous contributions made by Rent-A-Center stores exemplify responsible corporate citizenship at its best,” said Jim LaCarruba on behalf of Senator Brian X. Foley (D – Blue Point). “I commend the hard-working men and women of Rent-A-Center for supporting our communities and look forward to continue working with Rent-A-Center in building a stronger, more caring Long Island.”
“As the demand for our services increases, we are very thankful that Senator Foley linked us with Rent-A-Center, which in turn has stepped forward to help us meet the critical needs of Long Islanders,” said Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds, LICADD Executive Director. “This generous donation of equipment and funds will help us fulfill our promise to combat addiction and assist Long Islanders struggling with alcoholism and drug dependence – many of whom have nowhere else to turn.”
“Rent-A-Center’s community outreach philosophy and its business model share a common thread, both strive to make the lives of everyday Americans more manageable,” said Xavier Dominicis, vice president, public affairs, Rent-A-Center.
In New York, Rent-A-Center operates 178 stores including nine in the Long Island area. The company also operates a national product service center in Liverpool, where a team of specially trained technicians services merchandise on rent.
