Rebuilding Together, Lowe's and Carter's Kids Repair Homes and Revitalize Phoenix Community

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Rebuilding Together, a Safe and Healthy Housing organization that believes Community Starts at Home, is teaming up with Lowe's through its Community Partners program to provide free critical home repairs to four low-income homeowners and to support the Friendly House in the Central City neighborhood of Phoenix on February 20 and 21.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090421/REBUILDINGLOGO )

More than 100 Lowe's Heroes employee volunteers from area Lowe's stores will team with Rebuilding Together Valley of the Sun for this two-day community revitalization.

The volunteers will complete a bathroom renovation and ventilation repairs for a senior couple who are helping to raise their grandchildren. Rebuilding Together and Lowe's Heroes also will repair the kitchen cabinets and do drywall and electrical work for a single father raising three kids and taking care of his senior mother. They will complete bathroom and kitchen plumbing repairs for another homeowner, who was recently diagnosed with cancer.

In addition to the updates to homes throughout the community, Carter's Kids, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating and promoting awareness of fitness and self-esteem for America's youth, will join Rebuilding Together and Lowe's Heroes to build a brand new playground for the students of Friendly House's Academia Del Pueblo Charter School. Carter Oosterhouse, HGTV star and founder of Carter's Kids, will build alongside the volunteers. He will dedicate the new play space for students on February 21.

"Lowe's has been a tremendous supporter of Rebuilding Together and helping low-income homeowners," said John L. Fiegel, interim president and CEO of Rebuilding Together. "With their help, we can make homes safer and more energy efficient. And through Carter's Kids, we can see our impact reach every person in the community."

In its six years of partnership with Rebuilding Together, Lowe's has donated $7 million and successfully completed 958 projects across the country.

"It is a pleasure to partner with Rebuilding Together because the work we do, not only benefits individuals, but impacts entire communities," said Joan Higginbotham, Lowe's Director of Community Relations. "Helping our neighbors make much-needed updates to their homes builds a renewed sense of pride and engagement that is contagious to others around them; and the gift of a new playground where the entire neighborhood can gather, strengthens the community."

"This is a unique investment in the Friendly House community," Raul Espericueta-Friendly House President and CEO.  "Everybody wins – our children, our families, and our neighborhood."

About Friendly House
For over 90 years, Friendly House has transformed the lives of thousands of our community's citizens through its varied social services. Presently, services available in Adult Education, Citizenship, Workforce Development, Immigration, Family Services, Home Care for the Elderly, Youth Education, and Early Childhood Development are testament to the unwavering focus the organization has maintained over the decades.  To learn more, please visit www.friendlyhouse.org

About Rebuilding Together
Rebuilding Together is a Safe and Healthy Housing organization that believes Community Starts at Home. Our focus provides critical repairs, accessibility modifications and energy efficient upgrades to low-income homes and community centers at no cost to service recipients. Our impact extends beyond the individuals served to revitalize and stabilize vulnerable neighborhoods and communities across the country. Our 200 local affiliates complete 10,000 rebuild projects a year thanks to the efforts of nearly 200,000 volunteers from corporate partners, skilled trade professionals and everyday good citizens. Join us — visit www.RebuildingTogether.org.

About Lowe's
Lowe's supports the communities it serves through programs that focus on K-12 public education and community improvement projects. The company's signature education grant program, Lowe's Toolbox for Education^®, has donated more than $34 million to 7,500 K-12 public schools, benefiting more than 4 million schoolchildren. Lowe's Heroes employee volunteers support local community projects and our national nonprofit partners such as Habitat for Humanity, Rebuilding Together and the American Red Cross. In 2012, Lowe's and the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation together contributed more than $30 million to support communities in the United States, Canada and Mexico. To learn more, visit Lowes.com/SocialResponsibility.

SOURCE Rebuilding Together