Aaron's, Inc., a leader in the sales and lease ownership and specialty retailing of furniture, consumer electronics, home appliances and accessories, on Monday announced that the Aaron's Foundation will renew its partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America with a three-year, $5 million commitment to the Keystone Club, its premier national teen leadership and character program. A special event was held to announce the expanded partnership at the Warren Boys & Girls Club in Atlanta and included a Keystone Club makeover valued at $25,000.    

"Aaron's has a long tradition of giving back to the more than 2,000 communities where our stores are located across the country," said John Robinson, Aaron's Chief Executive Officer. "With 4,000 Boys & Girls Clubs across the country, we believe this will continue to be a great partnership directly benefiting youth in the communities where both organizations have a presence.  We've had a tremendous first year of partnership and with a new three-year commitment, Boys & Girls Clubs of America will be able to reach even more teens through the Keystone program."

"Our goal of ensuring that today's generation achieves the great futures of tomorrow wouldn't be possible without the support of Aaron's and other companies committed to helping kids and teens who need us most," said Jim Clark, President and Chief Executive Officer of BGCA. "We want to give young people a chance to contribute something of value to others and have a voice in how that gets done, and Aaron's support of Keystone helps gives young people this opportunity."

The new $5 million partnership agreement will run for three years and builds upon the successes the two organizations achieved in their initial one-year, $1 million partnership announced in May 2014. Similar to the Warren Club Keystone Teen Center makeover completed on Monday, Aaron's will donate furniture, electronics, and appliances to remodel 24 Clubs across the country over the next three years. This philanthropic partnership is Aaron's largest non-profit commitment to date and focuses on empowering teens to effect positive change in their Club and community through service projects and leadership.

The Aaron's Foundation partnership with BGCA's Keystone program includes sponsorship of the National Keystone Conference, bringing teens representing Keystone Clubs from around the globe together each year for character and leadership development. The 2015 conference was held in April, where more than 1,600 teens convened in Orlando, Florida, participating in workshops, exchange ideas, lead service projects and socialize with peers from various parts of the world. Teens helped plan and coordinate the conference. A committee of Keystone Club members drove the development of the conference topics, conducted debates, facilitated breakout sessions, and presided over the opening and closing sessions.

America's teens are in crisis. One in five students will not graduate from high school, costing our nation $159 billion over their lifetimes.  Through Keystone and other BGCA programs, Aaron's is helping teens own their future by taking ownership of their life to achieve their potential. Aaron's hopes to inspire teens to "Own Their Future" through three principles:

• Own Your Path: No matter where you come from, the future is yours to decide.

• Own Your Decisions: Making good choices opens more doors for your future.

• Own Your Community: Use your talents to make an impact in your community.

Keystone Club is a program available to members ages 14-18 at Clubs nationwide and on BGCA-affiliated youth centers on U.S. military installations here and abroad. The program creates opportunities for teens to participate in a variety of developmental activities in education, career preparation and civic engagement. The program is an essential element of BGCA's strategy to engage and develop teens into productive citizens and leaders.