AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 30, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EZCORP, Inc. (Nasdaq:EZPW), a leading provider of easy cash solutions for consumers, today announced the grand opening of three new EZPAWN stores in the Chicagoland area.
In celebration of these grand openings, EZCORP is launching an in-store donation promotion, Pin-Up for Kids' Sake™ Campaign, within 27 Chicago-area EZPAWN stores in partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago. Pin-Up for Kids' Sake™ Campaign, is a fundraising effort aiding Big Brothers Big Sisters' mission of matching more children in need with positive, caring adult mentors who will help their Little Brothers and Little Sisters achieve lifelong success. Participating EZPAWN stores will be offering customers paper pin-ups in exchange for donations of $1, $5, $10 or more. Each pin-up will have the donating customer's name on it and will be posted on store walls.
The three store grand openings are located at:
- STREAMWOOD – 901 E. Irving Park Road
- CHICAGO - 6722 S. Western Ave.
- HARVEY - 468 Sibley Blvd.
Big Brothers Big Sisters representatives will be on-site at each store grand opening to provide information on the organization's services and mentorship opportunities.
EZCORP is joining forces with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago to promote this campaign in celebration of National Mentoring Month. President Barack Obama has reinforced his belief in the importance of connecting young people with quality mentors by declaring January 2015 National Mentoring Month.
"Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago is excited to partner with EZPAWN on this campaign," says Art Mollenhauer, Chief Executive Officer, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago. "We applaud EZPAWN for their corporate citizenship and appreciate the opportunity to match more children in need with positive, caring adult mentors as a result."
EZCORP, the parent company of EZPAWN, has a long history of serving local community needs through financial support, volunteering and fundraising at 1,400 store locations in the US, Mexico and Canada. EZCORP supports children and families in the neighborhoods where their customers and team members live and work. Since 2010, EZCORP has invested $3.9 million in their store communities.
"We are pleased to partner with Big Brothers Big Sisters to transform the lives of children in our store neighborhoods through mentoring programs. One of our core values is 'leadership is service', and we are proud to celebrate our Chicagoland store openings and serve our customers and their families by supporting this campaign," says Hannah Nokes, Director of Community Affairs, EZCORP.
About EZCORP
EZCORP is a leader in delivering easy cash solutions to our customers across channels, products, services and markets. With over 7,300 team members and approximately 1,400 locations and branches, we give our customers multiple ways to access instant cash, including pawn loans and consumer loans in the United States, Mexico and Canada, and fee-based credit services to customers seeking loans. At our pawn and buy/sell stores and online, we also sell merchandise, primarily collateral forfeited from pawn lending operations and used merchandise purchased from customers.
EZCORP owns controlling interests in Prestaciones Finmart, S.A.P.I. de C.V., SOFOM, E.N.R. (doing business under the names "Crediamigo" and "Adex"), a leading provider of consumer loans in Mexico, and in Renueva Commercial, S.A.P.I. de C.V., an operator of buy/sell stores in Mexico under the name "TUYO." The company also has a significant investment in Cash Converters International Limited (CCV.ASX), which franchises and operates a worldwide network of over 750 stores that provide personal financial services and sell pre-owned merchandise. For more information, visit www.ezcorp.com.
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago helps children realize their potential and build their futures. The organization nurtures children, strengthens communities and believes that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. As Metro Chicago's largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers ("Bigs") and children ("Littles"). By providing a system of ongoing evaluation and support, Big Brothers Big Sisters is proven by independent studies to help youth and families. This system ensures that the children enrolled in the programs will perform better in school, avoid violence and illegal activities, and have stronger relationships with their parents and peers. For more information, visit www.bbbschgo.org.
About National Mentoring Month
National Mentoring Month spreads mentoring awareness in an effort to connect more of the nation's young people with quality mentors. This year, the 2015 National Mentoring Month will celebrate the power of mentoring relationships and the resulting "mentoring effect" that strengthens our communities. For more information, visit http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/chc/wmy/nmm/intro.htm.