Contact Information: Contact: Maria Di Franco 440.498.0500 x 1136
Last Spot for ECRM's School and Office Supplies EPPS Event Auctioned Off to Highest Donor
| Source: ECRM
CLEVELAND, OH--(Marketwire - June 11, 2009) - Although ECRM's School and Office Supply
EPPS® has been sold-out for almost a year, one registration was left
available for a manufacturer that was willing to make the highest
charitable bid. ECRM auctioned the last spot to the School and Office show
in a week long auction on eBay, June 1-8, 2009. The bidding began at
$16,950, the cost of a full planning session. The winning bid of
$21,000 was made by Executive Machines, a manufacturer of various office
equipment products.
The money was donated to The Kids In Need Foundation, a non-profit
organization with the mission to ensure that every child is prepared to
learn and succeed by providing free school supplies nationally to students
most in need. The Kids In Need National Network of Resource Centers
includes 23 facilities that allow teachers from low-income schools to
obtain free school supplies for their students. The Kids In Need Foundation
has distributed nearly $300 million in school supplies since its founding,
directly benefiting 1.6 million students and 100,000 teachers annually, and
has awarded $1 million in grants to teachers.
"ECRM allows us to reach out to donors and prospective donors about the
critical need for school supplies. Without supplies, children whose
families cannot afford to purchase paper, pencils, crayons and other needed
materials are unable to fully participate in the classroom experience,"
said Dave Smith, executive director of the Kids In Need Foundation. "ECRM
and the companies that attend their events understand the implications and
that the children they're helping today could be their employees in a few
years."
Tom Darcy, National Sales Manager for Executive Machines, explains their
feelings on making this charitable donation, "When you look around and
understand the needs that families have in our current economic situation
there are two basics: food and education. If they cannot get or afford the
basic tools to help in their education needs, then they fall behind and
once they fall behind their peers, they get frustrated and it is hard to
catch up. The Kids In Need Foundation helps these children stay on par with
their peers. We feel great by helping this organization in a small way."
ECRM's CEO Charlie Bowlus explains ECRM's partnership with the Kids In Need
Foundation. "We have been involved with Kids In Need for several years now
and respect what a quality organization that they have created and the
difference they have made nationwide. We stand behind their mission and
will continue to support them and promote their cause. We are very
appreciative that Executive Machines realizes their importance and has been
so generous."
Currently, ECRM's School and Office show will host around 140 registered
vendors that will present new items & programs for the Back to School
category. In addition, several leading retailers are scheduled to attend
the event. ECRM's School and Office show is the largest in the industry,
with over 800 individuals in attendance. The conference is scheduled for
September 13-17 in Dallas, Texas. For more information, please visit
www.ECRM.MarketGate.com