News

Murfreesboro, Tenn. – The Avenue® Murfreesboro will celebrate the back to school season and Tennessee’s tax-free weekend with a “Stuff the Bus” school supply donation drive on Saturday, August 8 from 12-2 p.m. In conjunction with the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce Business Education Partnership, supplies collected will be distributed to Murfreesboro City Schools and Rutherford County Schools and given to students and teachers.

 

Materials needed to “Stuff the Bus” include notebook paper, spiral notebooks, pencils, pens, crayons, scissors, glue, colored pencils, rulers, protractors, pocket folders and backpacks, as well as teaching supplies such as dry eraser markers, colored pens, copy paper and reward stickers.

 

“We hope that ‘Stuff the Bus’ will be a welcome relief to administrators, educators and the countless families who struggle with the expense of back to school supplies,” said Lee Rennick – executive director, Business Education Partnership Foundation. “Thanks to the generous support of the community, teachers will be able to focus on teaching during the first week of school, rather than making sure students bring supplies.”

 

The Business Education Partnership will be on-hand to collect donations, and everyone who makes a donation will receive an Avenue pencil case and will be entered into a drawing for a new laptop computer, courtesy of Best Buy, as well as have a chance to win prizes from The Avenue Murfreesboro. The two buses for the event will be supplied by Mid-South Bus Center, a wholesale bus company located in Murfreesboro that distributes Bluebird school buses, hotel buses and vans and more.

 

In addition to “Stuff the Bus,” representatives from the city and county school systems will be on hand to offer school information. Shoppers also can enjoy The Avenue’s back-to-school festival with balloon and caricature artists, sno-cones and more.

 

“We are adding in some family fun while parents and students shop for school supplies, backpacks, back to school fashions and dorm room decor at The Avenue,” said Angie Carter – general manager, The Avenue Murfreesboro.

 

The Avenue Murfreesboro offers dozens of choices for back-to-school shopping, including American Eagle, Barnes & Noble, Belk, The Children’s Place, Delia*s, Hollister, Justice, Michael’s, Old Navy, OshKosh B’Gosh and more.

 

Tennessee’s tax-free weekend is an annual holiday during which clothing and school supplies under $100 and computer purchases under $1,500 are exempt from sales tax. The Avenue will offer extended hours throughout tax-free weekend: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, August 7-8, and 12 p.m.-7 p.m. on Sunday, August 9. For more information on upcoming events at The Avenue Murfreesboro, visit www.shoptheavenue.com or become a fan of The Avenue Murfreesboro on Facebook (www.facebook.com/AvenueMurfreesboro).

 

The Avenue, introduced by Cousins Properties Incorporated in 1998, is an outdoor lifestyle center concept with eight locations throughout the Southeast. The Avenue offers a dynamic mix of premier national retailers, select local merchants and specialty restaurants reflective of local demand and fashion trends. The shopping destination features an open-air, pedestrian friendly setting convenient to major metropolitan areas. Shoppers can visit The Avenue at one of its five metro Atlanta locations, or in suburban Nashville, Tenn., suburban Memphis, Tenn. or Viera, Fla. For more information about The Avenue, please visit www.shoptheavenue.com.

 

The Business Education Partnership (BEP) Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization created by the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, forms and sustains valuable relationships between Murfreesboro City and Rutherford County schools with businesses in Rutherford County. With energetic and innovative programs, its purpose is to create outstanding schools by applying private and public sector resources to bold ideas that prepare today’s primary, elementary, middle and high school students to be tomorrow’s work force and future leaders.