Keep America Beautiful Receives $1 Million Donation from Lowe's

STAMFORD, Conn., Aug. 26, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Keep America Beautiful (KAB), the national nonprofit that builds and sustains vibrant communities, today announced Lowe's (NYSE: LOW) has awarded KAB a $1 million Lowe's Community Partners grant. Lowe's donation will support more than 60 local community service projects and KAB's Great American Cleanup, the nation's largest community improvement program. This is Lowe's third $1 million contribution to KAB to engage volunteers to take action to benefit local communities across the country.

The Lowe's Community Partners grant will enable the national nonprofit to initiate service projects in 27 states. From building community gardens and planting trees to leading disaster restoration and recycling programs, KAB and its national network of community-based affiliates will execute programs based on the needs of their local communities.

Lowe's also provides support as a national sponsor of KAB's flagship program, the Great American Cleanup, which takes place in 20,000 communities from coast to coast. This national program engages on average 2 million volunteers who take action to to create positive change and lasting impact.

"The power of the partnership between the Lowe's and Keep America Beautiful can be seen in the work accomplished by our affiliates and the Lowe's Heroes employee volunteers who have spent countless hours to make a difference through our Great American Cleanup and targeted community initiatives," said Jennifer Jehn, president and CEO of Keep America Beautiful. "Keep America Beautiful is thrilled to work with Lowe's to continue transforming public spaces into beautiful places for a third year."

Keep America Beautiful affiliates and partnering organizations received support from Lowe's for 180 initiatives through the first two years of the KAB/Lowe's grant program. Through this partnership, 130,000 acres of parks and public land have been cleaned; more than 886,000 flowers and bulbs have been planted; nearly 200 playgrounds/recreational areas have been restored; and more than 600 edible and community gardens have been planted.

"Lowe's shares Keep America Beautiful's belief that we are all responsible for the health of our communities," said Joan Higginbotham, Lowe's director of community relations. "Through our continued partnership, Lowe's is able to carry out our commitment to community improvement and inspire others to roll up their sleeves and help."

Over the course of the partnership, KAB and Lowe's have brought together more than 33,000 volunteers and 800 Lowe's Heroes. Together, they've contributed 170,000 volunteer hours in their respective communities.

Highlights of service projects that are taking place in the 2014 grant cycle include:

• Keep Indianapolis Beautiful – Four vacant lots will be transformed into a pocket park on the Near Eastside of Indianapolis. The park will complement the new Westminster Neighborhood Services family and adult services center adjacent to this park, while serving as a catalyst for neighborhood engagement and revitalization.
• Keep Phoenix Beautiful – Grant funding will be used to purchase supplies, topsoil and equipment to maintain and enhance the 15-acre PHX Renews site, the largest urban vacant lot transformation project in the country. This once-barren site has been transformed into urban farms, community garden beds and educational spaces. It was also the site of the recently concluded Clinton Global Initiative University Day of Action.
• Keep the Rez Beautiful – This Mississippi affiliate, which is dedicated to restoring the Ross Barnett Reservoir, will use the grant to develop a new demonstration project that uses native plants, including a pollinator garden, to improve water quality in the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District.
• Keep Riverside Clean & Beautiful – Grant funding will be used to build trails and parks, connect communities with more green space and encourage outdoor recreational activity along the Santa Ana River Watershed, a main waterway that runs through Riverside, Calif.

About Lowe's in the Community
Lowe's, a FORTUNE^® 100 home improvement company, has a 50-year legacy of supporting the communities it serves through programs that focus on K-12 public education and community improvement projects.  Since 2007, Lowe's and the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation together have contributed nearly $200 million to these efforts, and for more than two decades Lowe's Heroes employee volunteers have donated their time to make our communities better places to live. To learn more, visit Lowes.com/SocialResponsibility and LowesInTheCommunity.tumblr.com.

About Keep America Beautiful
Keep America Beautiful is the nation's leading nonprofit that brings people together to build and sustain vibrant communities. With a powerful national network of community-based affiliates, we work with millions of volunteers who take action in their communities to transform public spaces into beautiful places. Through our programs and public-private partnerships, we engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community's environment. For more information, visit kab.org, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or view us on YouTube.

Contacts
Keep America Beautiful                              
Lynn Markley                                             
203.659.3072                                             
[email protected]                         

Lowe's Companies, Inc.
Steve Salazar
704-758-4345
[email protected]

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SOURCE Keep America Beautiful, Inc.