Rent-A-Center Donates to Louisiana Community
Development Capital Fund

April 19, 2011 at 10:37 AM EDT

BATON ROUGE, La., Apr 19, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

Rent-A-Center, Inc. (NASDAQ/NGS: RCII) today donated two large-screen televisions and $5000 to the Louisiana Community Development Capital Fund (CapFund). The donation is tied to a philanthropic initiative dubbed "Random Acts of Caring," launched by Rent-A-Center in 2008.

"CapFund thanks Rent-A-Center for its generous donation in support of the implementation of our Section 3 program, which identifies eligible individuals and businesses to work in the rebuilding of small rental property destroyed by hurricanes Katrina and Rita," said Dr. Ernest Johnson, president of CapFund.

CAPFUND is a non-profit organization committed to improving economic conditions by initiating financial-assistance projects in low-income communities, and is currently helping unemployed and low-income individuals find jobs with contractors who are renovating multi-family housing in New Orleans. Once the housing becomes available for rent, CapFund's outreach will help identify tenants from among the 100,000 people who have been unable to return to their homes since Hurricane Katrina in 2006.

"Through its Random Acts of Caring initiative, Rent-A-Center is able to give back to the communities it serves," said Xavier Dominicis, vice president of public affairs at Rent-A-Center. "We selected CapFund in recognition of the important work this organization has undertaken in stimulating the local economy and improving the lives of thousands of area residents."

Rent-A-Center, Inc., headquartered in Plano, Texas, currently operates approximately 3,000 company-owned stores nationwide and in Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. The stores generally offer high-quality, durable goods such as major consumer electronics, appliances, computers, furniture and accessories under flexible rental-purchase agreements that generally allow the customer to obtain ownership of the merchandise at the conclusion of an agreed upon rental period. Learn more at www.rentacenter.com.

SOURCE: Rent-A-Center, Inc.

Rent-A-Center, Inc.
Xavier Dominicis, 214-708-7980 (cell)
Xavier.Dominicis@Rentacenter.com