New Program Features Bullying Expert Brooks Gibbs and is Supported by
Sales of Exclusive One Direction Collection at Office Depot
BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 19, 2013--
Office Depot, Inc. (NYSE:ODP), a leading global provider of school
supplies and services, today announced the next phase of its
multi-faceted anti-bullying partnership with One Direction - a new
Office Depot Foundation educational program intended to help stop
bullying.
The Office
Depot Foundation – the independent, nonprofit philanthropic arm of
Office Depot - has engaged nationally known speaker Brooks Gibbs to
present its “Be The Difference. Speak Up Against Bullying!” program in
middle schools across the U.S. during the upcoming school year. A youth
crisis counselor and bullying expert, Gibbs has spoken to more than 1
million students about bullying in the past decade.
Beginning in early September, Gibbs will conduct school assemblies for
students as well as anti-bullying education sessions for parents,
teachers and administrators in each city he visits. The campaign aims to
give students the confidence and courage to report bullying as a
strategy for reducing bullying. Gibbs’ “treat everyone like friends -
even your enemies” philosophy enhances One Direction’s message of “Live
Nice.”
“The educational program that we have created in partnership with the
Office Depot Foundation trains students, parents and educators in proven
strategies to stop bullying now and in the future,” said Gibbs. “We
couldn't be more proud of what we have created and look forward to
inspiring hundreds of thousands of students to live kind, love everyone
and move together against bullying.”
“The Office Depot Foundation is committed to helping children succeed in
school and in life,” said Mary Wong, President of the Office Depot
Foundation. “We are grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with One
Direction, Office Depot and Brooks Gibbs to help create a safe,
bully-free environment in middle schools across the United States by
empowering students to speak up against bullying.”
Last month, Office Depot and One Direction launched an exclusive,
limited-edition back-to-school collection with a percentage of the
products’ sales being donated to the Office Depot Foundation to support
anti-bullying education. The 1D + OD Together Against Bullying
back-to-school campaign is helping to raise $1 million for the Office
Depot Foundation’s anti-bullying education component of the multi-tiered
partnership between Office Depot and One Direction.
"We are excited that the money raised from the 1D + OD Together Against
Bullying product line is being used to fund the Office Depot
Foundation’s anti-bullying program in schools across America,” said
Louis Tomlinson of One Direction. “We believe it is important for
students to live original and be nice to their peers. We truly hope this
program helps eliminate bullying in schools."
Details about the application process for schools interested in
participating in the “Be The Difference. Speak Up Against Bullying!”
educational program will be announced later this month on the Office
Depot Foundation website, www.officedepotfoundation.org.
THE 1D+OD LIVE.LOVE.MOVE campaign, product line and educational program
has been designed by SEW Branded, a New York brand image and marketing
consultancy.
About Office Depot
Office Depot provides core office supplies, the latest technology,
school essentials, copy
& print services, cleaning & breakroom products, and furniture
to consumers, teachers and businesses of all sizes through 1,614
worldwide retail
stores, global e-commerce operations, a dedicated sales force, an
inside sales organization, and top-rated catalogs. The Company has
annual sales of approximately $10.7 billion, employs about 38,000
associates, and serves customers in 60 countries around the world.
Office Depot’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange
under the symbol ODP. Additional press information can be found at: http://news.officedepot.com.
About One Direction
One Direction – Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and
Louis Tomlinson – were discovered by Simon Cowell on the U.K.’s “The X
Factor” in 2010. The band quickly gained a following to become one of
the competition’s all-time most popular acts, finishing in the final
three and garnering a gigantic and loyal fan base along the way. In
March 2012, One Direction’s debut album, “Up All Night,” made U.S.
history, as it was the first time a U.K. group’s debut album entered the
U.S. Billboard 200 chart at No. 1. The band has sold over 30 million
records worldwide. In November 2012, One Direction released their
sophomore album, “Take Me Home,” which includes the No. 1 single, “Live
While We’re Young,” and are currently on a sold-out world tour. One
Direction's 3D motion picture film This is Us is in theaters
nationwide on August 30 and features the new hit single "Best Song Ever."
About the Office Depot Foundation
The Office Depot Foundation is an independent foundation − tax exempt
under IRC Sec. 501(c)(3) − that serves as the independent charitable
giving arm of Office Depot, Inc. In keeping with its mission, Listen
Learn Care®, the Foundation supports a variety of programs
that give children tools to succeed in school and in life; build the
capacity of non-profit organizations through collaboration and
innovation; and help communities prepare for disasters, as well as
recovering and rebuilding afterwards. For more information, visit www.officedepotfoundation.org.
About Brooks Gibbs
Brooks Gibbs is a youth crisis counselor and bullying expert. He has
been called upon as advisor to several school tragedies and has served
as content producer for several television projects, including Teen
Trouble on LIFETIME and Bully Diaries on Comcast
On-Demand.
Gibbs is young, dynamic and hugely popular as a speaker in school
districts across the nation. He consistently receives the highest
speaker ratings at teacher conferences, mental health training events
and student gatherings. He began writing and speaking on the subject of
bullying in the aftermath of the Columbine shooting that took place in
his hometown of Littleton, Colorado. In the decade since America’s most
notorious school tragedy, Brooks has spoken to over 1 million students,
hosted national radio and television shows, been featured in
publications like The Washington Post and The
Huffington Post and has been interviewed on CBS.
Source: Office Depot, Inc.
Office Depot
Stephanie Sampiere, 561-438-2563
Stephanie.Sampiere@officedepot.com
or
Factory
PR
Alina Hauptman, 212-941-7057
Alina@factorypr.com
or
JKG
Group
Leon Rubin, 561-251-8075
LRubin@jkggroup.com
