OMX Officemax Incorporated

OfficeMax Partners With Adopt-A-Classroom For 'A Day Made Better,' Driving Community Action To End $4 Billion 'Teacher-Funded Classroom' Spend NAPERVILLE, Ill., Oct. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- One thousand teachers at 1,000 schools across the United States will be surprised with in-class ceremonies featuring more than $1 million worth of donated school supplies (nearly $1,200 worth per school) on October 2, as OfficeMax(R) Incorporated (NYSE:OMX) kicks off its "A Day Made Better" campaign to eliminate "teacher-funded" classrooms. Due to budget shortfalls, teachers are now forced to spend nearly $4 billion annually out of their own pockets (an average of $1,200 per teacher) for basic classroom supplies. To call attention to this issue, more than 4,000 OfficeMax associates -- working secretly with 1,000 principals to ensure the element of surprise -- will honor 1,000 teachers in 1,000 schools with donations to the schools of much-needed supplies at 10:00 a.m. on October 2, in one of the largest single-day school advocacy campaigns to date. To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/officemax/29720/ "It's astounding that teachers have to reach into their own wallets to buy billions of dollars worth of basic school supplies -- markers, posters and pencil sharpeners," says Bob Thacker, senior vice president of marketing for OfficeMax. "Our October 2 'A Day Made Better' campaign has one message: it's time to act together so that our teachers can focus on educating our children, without worrying about where their basic classroom supplies will come from." To execute "A Day Made Better," every one of OfficeMax's retail stores and distribution centers are collaborating with a principal for at least one community school from Los Angeles, Denver and Seattle to Boston, Miami and New York, and hundreds of other cities. Selected by OfficeMax's non-profit partner, Adopt-A-Classroom (http://www.adoptaclassroom.org/), the principals have nominated one teacher at each of the 1,000 schools who exemplify a passion for learning and innovative classroom techniques. And -- until October 2 -- none of the 1,000 teachers will know they've been chosen to be honored. "Outside of the home, the teacher is the primary influence on our children," said Jamie Rosenberg, Founder and Executive Director of Adopt-A-Classroom, which has raised more than $6 million on behalf of classrooms since its inception. "In spite of increasing demand for qualified teachers, 50 percent of our teachers quit within their first five years due largely to a lack of support. On October 2, OfficeMax's 'A Day Made Better' campaign will begin the process of rallying parents, local governments and businesses to eliminate teacher-funded classrooms by giving teachers the support they deserve." "Community participation is key to resolving this resource crisis -- OfficeMax alone can't bring all the support teachers need," adds Carolynn Brooks, vice president, diversity and inclusion for OfficeMax. "Today, we challenge everyone to show their support for just one teacher in their community and, together, let our teachers know that we will not fail them in their mission to educate our children." OfficeMax and Adopt-A-Classroom are also raising additional funds for local teachers, urging OfficeMax customers to make a donation to Adopt-A-Classroom at its retail stores, where, for a minimum $2 donation, consumers will receive a limited edition magnetic picture frame as a gift. For more information about A Day Made Better, visit http://www.officemax.com/. About OfficeMax OfficeMax Incorporated (NYSE:OMX) is a leader in both business-to- business office products solutions and retail office products. The OfficeMax mission is simple. We help our customers do their best work. The company provides office supplies and paper, in-store print and document services through OfficeMax ImPress(TM), technology products and solutions, and furniture to consumers and to large, medium and small businesses. OfficeMax customers are served by approximately 35,000 associates through direct sales, catalogs, e-commerce and more than 900 stores. To find the nearest OfficeMax, call 1-877-OFFICEMAX. For more information, visit http://www.officemax.com/. OfficeMax Media Contact William Bonner, 630-864-6066 Jennifer Rook, 630-864-6057 - or - Heather Schwartz, Maccabee PR, 612-247-9365 Paul Maccabee, Maccabee PR, 612-337-0087 OfficeMax Investor Contact John Jennings - 630-864-6820 http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/officemax/29720DATASOURCE: OfficeMax Incorporated CONTACT: Media, William Bonner, +1-630-864-6066, or Jennifer Rook, +1-630-864-6057, both of OfficeMax Incorporated; or Heather Schwartz, +1-612-247-9365, or Paul Maccabee, +1-612-337-0087, both of Maccabee PR, for OfficeMax Incorporated; or, Investors, John Jennings, +1-630-864-6820 Web site: http://www.officemax.com/ http://www.adoptaclassroom.org/ http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/officemax/29720

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