December 22, 2008
Press Release
Contact: Marisol Barrios-Jordan, Hillsides
(323) 254-2274 ext. 274
cell: (310) 713-8567
The Sofa Company Brings Comfort to Pasadena Foster Care Charity
(PASADENA, CA)— Having an uplifting and fun area where foster care children can visit with family and friends was important to Chad Connor, Pasadena Showroom Manager of The Sofa Company. Connor, a former foster care youth, understands what it feels like sitting on hard, steel chairs situated in dreary environments.
As the Pasadena representative for
The Sofa Company, Connor was given the opportunity to select a charity of the month to transform an area by providing a new sofa and two chairs. Connor chose Hillsides, a children’s charity in Pasadena that also serves families in crisis living in Los Angeles County.
“I grew up in a boys’ home and I wanted to look at a charity close to my background,” said Connor, who Googled group homes in Pasadena and found Hillsides on the top of the list. “The charity has a great reputation and upon coming to Hillsides and meeting Gerri Monohan, I thought this place was so much nicer than the places I grew up in.”
Connor entered foster care when he was 11 and was placed in six different group homes until he emancipated at 17. Upon leaving foster care, he obtained a job delivering furniture and quickly moved up the ranks. In four years, he became manager of that store until his relocation to The Sofa Company. Connor has been in the furniture retail industry for 13 years.
For The Sofa Company whose motto is "you design it, we build it," the promise to continue to innovate the selections available and make the process of buying a sofa enjoyable for residents throughout Los Angeles reaches children and youth whose lives have been affected by abuse. For children in foster care and served by the Pasadena children’s charity, they continue to see uplifting furniture pieces in the bright colored environment designed to refresh children and heal their spirits.
“Coming here is huge for me. It feels really good knowing that I can affect the kids’ everyday environment,” said Connor, who encourages San Gabriel Valley residents to visit the Pasadena Showroom. “During this economy, people can’t afford to sell their homes, but they can refurbish their homes and we can provide the sofas to cheer up their living spaces just like we did for the children at Hillsides.”
The Sofa Company has remodeled the Historic Friend Paper building at 100 W. Green Street in Pasadena. With a newly expanded second story mezzanine, they offer a beautiful loft like showroom experience. Proud of the fact they operate a locally run factory that supports the economy and country, it also allows The Sofa Company to watch over every single sofa that gets delivered.
Valued at over $2,700, the sofa and two chairs were delivered to the foster care charity with care and pride just as was demonstrated by Connor’s selection of Hillsides as the recipient of their Charity of the Month donation.
“The children and staff’s reaction to the new sofa and chairs were of delight and they could not believe that this was given to Hillsides for their use,” said Monohan, the charity’s director of operations. “Chad and his company were thoughtful and open to the various issues we have with furniture and were able to make the perfect sofa and chairs for our use.”
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About Hillsides: As a Pasadena foster care charity founded in 1913, Hillsides creates safe places for children at risk and their families by providing residential care, mental health services to break the cycle of domestic violence, special education, and advocacy. To learn more about Hillsides, visit
www.Hillsides.org.
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