3,500-Salon Great Clips Brand Launches "#GREATLIST" Back To School Campaign With AdoptAClassroom.org

MINNEAPOLIS, July 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Great Clips, the world's largest salon brand, has teamed up with AdoptAClassroom.org for the 2014 school year to provide teachers, students and parents across the country with access to much needed school supplies.

Did You Know?

• More than 15 million children live in households with families who cannot provide all the resources needed to succeed in school?
• Today, teachers have to purchase nearly 75 percent of all classroom materials with their own money.
• Teachers spend up to $1000 of their own dollars buying materials for their classrooms each school year—totaling more than $3 billion annually.
• According to a 2013 survey of educators across the country, 54 % say one of the best ways for communities to support schools is to donate general classroom supplies or funds for classroom supplies.*

With this reality in mind, Great Clips has set out to make a difference in three simple ways.

One...
Great Clips worked with AdoptAClassroom.org to find two deserving teachers and surprise them with the classroom of their dreams. Watch the surprise VIDEO as Great Clips surprises teachers Clara Hutchinson and Anthony Jacobs with an amazing classroom transformation at Central High school in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Great Clips also adopted the other 78 teacher at Central High by putting funds into each of their AdoptAClassroom.org accounts so they can choose the supplies they most need.

Two...
Great Clips is offering everyone an easy way to help a classroom in their community. When customers download their free Online Check-In app through Sept. 5, Great Clips will make a donation to support AdoptAClassroom.org up to $20,000.

Three...
Great Clips is making back-to-school more affordable for all families. Daily #GREATLIST winners get back-to-school supplies shipped to their front door for free. To enter, customers go to the Back-To-School page on Greatclips.com between July 15 and Sept. 5 to complete a simple entry form. Submit a photo of the list, type the list or upload a copy of the list. Great Clips will purchase and ship school supplies to daily winners (up to $100 in value.)

"Going to Great Clips for your back-to-school haircut is as much an annual ritual as purchasing new school supplies," says Bob Thacker, executive director of AdoptAClassroom.org, "We're thrilled that Great Clips is helping us put school supplies in the hands of teachers and students who otherwise may not be able to afford the tools needed to succeed in school."

Great Clips CEO Rhoda Olsen is glad for the chance to give back, "We're thrilled that this year's back-to-school campaign, #GREATLIST, is grounded in all things great: great value; great convenience with our app; and doing Great Deeds™," she said. "Not only is Great Clips saving customers time and money on their back-to-school haircuts but, with the help of AdoptAClassroom.org, we're making a difference in local communities."

Olsen noted, "Great Clips has always worked to strengthen the people and communities we serve. And we're proud to contribute our time, talents and resources to a variety of great causes. It feels good to support something special, and who is more important than the teachers who educate and nurture our future generations!"

* The Horace Mann Educator Advisory Panel has been in place since 2004 and consists of educators from across the country. Currently, around 1,700 educators belong to the panel and are mostly Public K-12 teachers. Less than 15% of the panel members are Horace Mann customers.

Video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujE-6DXSeK8&feature=youtu.be

SOURCE Great Clips