Cindy Crawford, Art Van Charity Challenge Ambassador, Will Join Retailer At Award Of Hope Event Oct. 5 To Honor Individuals Positively Impacting Their Communities

WARREN, Mich., Sept. 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Paying it forward! Art Van Furniture, the Midwest's largest furniture retailer, and Cindy Crawford, international supermodel, businesswoman and philanthropist, will pay tribute to five everyday heroes whose selfless efforts on behalf of their Midwest communities have made a profound difference in the lives of those in need. The Art Van Award of Hope celebration will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5, at Art Van Furniture in Warren (6500 E. 14 Mile Road) to commemorate the ninth anniversary of the Art Van Charity Challenge.

The Award of Hope honorees are:

• Christy Buck, executive director of the Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan in Grand Rapids, who created the "Be Nice" anti-bullying and anti-suicide campaign dedicated to creating communities with good mental health
• Pastor Kent Clark, chief executive officer of Grace Centers of Hope in Pontiac, Mich., who leads southeast Michigan's oldest and largest faith-based residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility
• Rhonda Walker, president and founder of the Rhonda Walker Foundation in Detroit, who empowers inner city teen girls to become strong, confident, moral future leaders through Girls into Women, a five-year program from 8^th through 12^th grades
• Lee Anne Walters, a concerned mother in Flint, Mich., who was the catalyst for bringing the Flint Water Crisis into the national spotlight
• Mary Zeien, founder and director of The Well of Mercy in Chicago, Ill., who created a secure home for single, pregnant women in need that provides them with tools to create stable, successful lives

"We each find our unique purpose in life by being of service to others," said Kim Yost, president and CEO of Art Van Furniture. "We are so proud to present the Art Van Award of Hope to these devoted, altruistic individuals, and provide them with the recognition they so richly deserve for the work they do day in and day out in their communities." 

Each recipient will be presented with a $5,000 check for their cause. Representatives from nearly 359 nonprofit organizations throughout the Midwest who have participated in the Art Van Charity Challenge since 2009 will be in attendance. To date, the Art Van Charity Challenge has donated $8 million and raised more than $24 million. Cindy Crawford has served as the official ambassador of the charitable giving initiative since 2015.

For more information, visit artvan.com.

About Art Van Furniture
Art Van Furniture is the Midwest's largest furniture retailer and America's largest independent furniture retailer. The company operates more than 120 stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Iowa, including freestanding Art Van PureSleep mattress stores, Art Van Flooring stores, and Art Van Furniture franchise locations, as well as a full-service e-commerce website. Founded in 1959, the company is headquartered in Warren, Mich. Visit artvan.com for more information.

SOURCE Art Van Furniture

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