Art Van Furniture Donates $1 Million to 50 Charities

September 13, 2011  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Community/Charitable Support on September 14, 2011

Art Van Furniture has given away $1 million to 50 charities for the third year in a row.

Donations include a $50,000 grant to Focus Hope in honor of the late Eleanor Josaitis, a long-time friend of Art Van Elslander, chairman of Warren, Mich.-based Art Van. Focus Hope was one of 30 Metro Detroit charities awarded grants. Special recognition was given to Focus Hope, the Detroit-based nonprofit organization which aims to overcome racism and poverty.
 
"Along with Father Cunningham, the late Eleanor Josaitis helped feed the hungry and create 11,000 jobs," said Gary Van Elslander, president of Art Van Furniture. "My father was a personal friend of Eleanor's and he wanted to help make sure her legacy would live on."

The 50 state-wide recipients address the needs children, health and human services programs. The grants are designed as challenge gifts in order to encourage others to donate and maximize fundraising opportunities. To date, the Art Van Million Dollar Charity Challenge has raised $7 million dollars.

"Let's face it, the state of the economy has not improved in Michigan," said Art Van Elslander. "This has increased the demand on nonprofits, outpacing their ability to meet the demand. The only way charities can operate effectively is with the help of the community. It's our responsibility. It is our duty."

In addition to the challenge awards, all 150 Art Van Million Dollar Charity Challenge recipients (this includes the 100 awardees from the past two years) can compete to win an additional $25,000, $15,000 or $10,000 bonus.

"We want to continue to make the dollars go further, and we want to do it in a way that will create fun and excitement," said Gary Van Elslander. "These awards will be granted to the top three charities that receive the most votes from the public.  So we're expecting creative campaigns that will raise awareness for the charity challenge and each organization."

The public is encouraged to vote for their favorite charity during a two week period, Sept. 15-30 at www.artvan.com.