Rebuilding Together and Sears Drive Funds to Rebuild Nashville Homes

Homes destroyed by Nashville floods will receive extensive work as part of the national service initiative, United We Serve

Mayor Karl Dean of Nashville, Congressman Jim Cooper, and Councilmember Jamie Hollin are attending to support the rebuild event

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Rebuilding Together Nashville, an affiliate of the nation's leading affordable housing nonprofit Rebuilding Together, announces its newest rebuilding effort with longtime sponsor, Sears Holdings. Rebuilding Together Nashville is working with Sears to rebuild several homes that were damaged by the floods in Nashville earlier this year.

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Immediately following the floods, a campaign was held in Sears and Kmart stores throughout Tennessee to raise funds for flood-damaged homes. The funds were donated to Rebuilding Together Nashville to directly finance the rehabilitation of the homes. Sears will sponsor projects on Sept. 11, which will help fulfill Rebuilding Together Nashville's goal of rebuilding 75 flood-damaged homes in low-income communities around the city.  Rebuilding Together Nashville and Sears will also work with HandsOn Nashville, their flood relief partner, to complete the rehabilitation of all 75 homes by early 2011.

The project will rehabilitate five homes in the McFerrin Park community; all of the homes were flooded with at least six feet of water on the bottom floors and suffered extensive destruction. The homeowners include families and veterans; all of whom require assistance to complete necessary renovations. The extensive work scopes include new flooring, drywall, plumbing, electrical, and weatherization upgrades.

"This incredible campaign and project is just another avenue that demonstrates Sears' continued support of Rebuilding Together's mission," stated Gary Officer, president and CEO of Rebuilding Together. "We are happy to collaborate with a great company that dedicates so much time to rebuilding homes and lives of those in need."

"Rebuilding Together Nashville is proud to be part of this project to help local homeowners return to their homes and reinvest in their communities," said Laura Price, executive director of Rebuilding Together Nashville. "The initiative led by Sears to raise funds and the extensive resources of HandsOn Nashville will ensure our capability to continue serving homeowners and foster the preservation and longevity of our neighborhoods."

The rebuilding event will culminate with a ribbon cutting ceremony to welcome the homeowners' return and a community celebration. Local and national leaders will attend to show their support for the rebuilding event. Mayor of Nashville, Karl Dean; Congressman Jim Cooper; and Councilmember Jamie Hollin are scheduled to attend.

Each of the projects completed on Sept. 11 are part of the nationwide service initiative, United We Serve, which helps meet the growing social needs resulting from the economic downturn.  President Obama created the United We Serve program to challenge Americans to assist in the growth of the country through sustainable community service. Since the debut of the initiative over a year ago, Rebuilding Together has completed many projects as part of United We Serve.

To date, Sears and Rebuilding Together have rebuilt over 750 homes and have raised over $12 million through their initiative, Heroes at Home, which serves the housing needs of veterans nationwide.

ABOUT REBUILDING TOGETHER NASHVILLE

Rebuilding Together Nashville's mission is to preserve and revitalize houses and communities, assuring that low-income homeowners, particularly those who are elderly and disabled and families with children, live with warmth, safety, and independence. Our goal is to make a sustainable impact in partnership with communities. Rebuilding Together Nashville affiliate is an all volunteer organization that focuses on helping families in the Davidson County. Every Spring and Fall with the help of sponsors and several hard working volunteers, Rebuilding Together Nashville rebuilds multiple homes within the local area.

ABOUT REBUILDING TOGETHER

Rebuilding Together is the nation's leading nonprofit organization working to preserve affordable homeownership and revitalize neighborhoods by providing extensive rehabilitation and modification services to those in need at no cost to those served. With the help of everyday citizen volunteers, skilled trades people, the support of local business and major corporate partners, Rebuilding Together affiliates in America's largest cities and smallest towns make life considerably better for thousands of low-income homeowners and the communities in which they live by completing 10,000 projects per year. Rebuilding Together has programs dedicated to energy efficiency, veteran's housing, aging in place and gulf coast reconstruction. For more information, visit www.RebuildingTogether.org. You can also follow Rebuilding Together on Twitter @rebldgtogthr or become a fan on Facebook at Facebook.com/RebuildingTogether.

ABOUT SEARS HOLDINGS

Sears Holdings Corporation is the nation's fourth largest broadline retailer with approximately 3,900 full-line and specialty retail stores in the United States and Canada. Sears Holdings is the leading home appliance retailer as well as a leader in tools, lawn and garden, home electronics and automotive repair and maintenance. Sears Holdings is the 2010 ENERGY STAR® Retail Partner of the Year. Key proprietary brands include Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard, and a broad apparel offering, including such well-known labels as Lands' End, Jaclyn Smith and Joe Boxer, as well as the Apostrophe and Covington brands. It also has the Country Living collection, which is offered by Sears and Kmart. We are the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 12 million service calls made annually. Sears Holdings Corporation operates through its subsidiaries, including Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Kmart Corporation. For more information, visit Sears Holdings' website at www.searsholdings.com

ABOUT HANDS ON NASHVILLE, INC.

Founded in 1991, Hands On Nashville (HON) is Middle Tennessee’s only volunteer resource center and one of the largest Hands On Network affiliates. HON connected 38,969 volunteers to service in 2009 and offers volunteer projects 365 days a year. In response to the recent flooding, HON has placed more than 19,000 volunteers in recovery roles since May 2. To find out more or to volunteer, visit www.hon.org.

SOURCE Rebuilding Together