Aaron’s Partners with Former NFL Stars to Provide Furnishings Across the Country

December 23, 2020  by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry   

Aaron's has partnered with Warrick Dunn Charities and Warner's First Things First Foundation to lift up families for over 16 years. "Homes for the Holidays" celebrate single parents who are actively working to achieve first-time homeownership by alleviating the additional financial burdens that can come along with establishing a new home. While the houses themselves are constructed and financed through Habitat for Humanity, the surprise comes when the families discover they are fully furnished and stocked thanks to Aaron's.

"We are grateful to Warrick Dunn and Kurt Warner for their vitally important work to turn houses into homes for single parent families," said Douglas Lindsay, chief executive officer of Aaron's. "Especially around the holidays, it's very meaningful to us to continue these longstanding partnerships and to help improve the lives of these families and the conditions of these communities."

With social distancing measures put in place to ensure everyone's safety, the fall 2020 events celebrated milestones for extraordinary families in Denver, Colo., Austell, Ga., Glendale, Ariz. and Phoenix, Ariz.

In collaboration with Warrick Dunn Charities, the Denver project helped a single mom of one settle into a new townhouse just days before the birth of her second child; the first Austell event saw a mother with an autistic son establish a critical safe space for their future; the second Austell home allowed a local bus driver to plant roots for her two teenagers; and the Glendale celebration marked a new start for a factory worker with five kids.

"I always like to say that Aaron's makes dreams come true, and that's certainly the case for the latest group of homeowners in our program," said Warrick Dunn. "Both Denver and Austell were new markets on our path to 186 home celebrations this fall, and we are incredibly grateful to Aaron's for helping us change lives all across this country."

In collaboration with the First Things First Foundation, the Phoenix, Ariz. project surprised a Rwandan immigrant and single mother to five daughters.

"This has been a difficult year for everyone, so being able to bring joy of this magnitude is more meaningful than ever before," said Kurt Warner. "My wife, Brenda, and I cherish each and every one of the 52 hardworking families we have been able to serve through this program and are incredibly grateful to Aaron's for their enduring support of our mission."