On March 16th Join the Movement will go live at www.ruvilla.com/jtm.

What is Join The Movement?

Join The Movement (JTM) is VILLA’s campaign to revitalize urban communities by supporting economic investment, educational opportunities and exposure to multi-cultural experiences, heroes, and other inspirational figures.

Stay tuned to find out how you and your community can Join the Movement!

Here’s is a few pictures of Mayor Nutter at the Villa’s Chelton store in Philadelphia this past January.

The Edgewood Grand Opening was a big hit in the eastern Pittsburgh area. We decided to celebrate the new store opening with a Steelers tailgate party. It turned out to be the perfect way to kick off Super Bowl weekend since the Steelers were playing in it the next day. We had a great crowd, and the people definitely were out in full force representing their team. We met with local community members, gave away Timberlands, $50 gift cards, and of course the Steelers tailgate party. More than 150 people stood in line on Saturday morning for the gift card giveaway. Thanks to the Edgewood team for hosting a great show, and the rest of the team that was there.

Villa’s Atlantic City Grand Opening was an event not to miss. Both days were filled with giveaways and a special guest appearance. Friday was the first day of the huge buy 1 get 1 for $1 sale. Also, Villa raffled off a free pair of Timberland “Butters” Boots and there was an in-store and autograph session with rapper T.I. Saturday was the second day of the buy 1 get 1 for $1 sale. Also, there were $25 gift cards given away to the first 100 customers in line. Daddy-O the Clown was on-site doing free face painting and baloon sculpting and there were free hot dogs and beverages for everyone. Overall, the event was a huge success and perfect for the whole family to attend.

Drop off a coat at any Villa location and receive $50 in Villa savings passes.

VILLA Teen Centers will serve as an extension of the community hub that exists within our stores. VILLA and its partner Nike are committed to the creation of a safe, exciting place for teenagers to learn and play. VILLA has chosen another strong partner in the Philadelphia Recreation Department to host the first VILLA Teen Center at the Martin Luther King recreation center. In 2009, VILLA will open VILLA Teen Centers at Francis J. Myers and Feltonville recreation centers.

This fall Villa will be challenging high school students to express themselves creatively through writing, visual arts or digital media/video. From September 25th until October 24th, students from Harrisburg and Norristown High Schools will be participating in our Villa Reads Challenge. Students may also submit a piece of visual art or digital media with their writing sample depicting their views of the book and connections to their individual community.