Rebuilding Together Bestows the 2009 Patty R. Johnson Community Builder Award on the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation

Rebuilding Together Bestows the 2009 Patty R. Johnson Community Builder Award on the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --Rebuilding Together, the nation's leading nonprofit organization working to preserve affordable homeownership, honored the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation with the Patty R. Johnson Community Builder Award for 2009.

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Lowe's was presented with the award at the Rebuilding Together National Conference in Washington, DC. This distinguished award, named after founding Rebuilding Together President Patty Johnson, is given to the individual or corporation which best exemplifies dedicated service and unparalleled leadership to communities in need. The recipient of this award is approved by Rebuilding Together's Board of Directors.

Over the past three years, the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation has been a model partner and an invaluable component of Rebuilding Together's growing success across the country. Since 2007, the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation has contributed $3 million in funding to support Rebuilding Together's Safe at Home and Green Housing National programs. Through Lowe's Charitable and Educational funding, these critical programs have ensured the safety and comfort of over 230 low-income homeowners.

This incredible three year relationship has created monumental success in Rebuilding Together's ability and capacity to reach out to homeowners, families and the elderly in need. Nearly 70% of Rebuilding Together affiliates have been funded to provide low-income homeowners with critical home repairs, accessibility modifications and energy efficiency upgrades. Additionally, the Foundation is the lead sponsor of Rebuilding Together's AmeriCorps program, CapacityCorps. The CapacityCorps has advanced Rebuilding Together's national outreach and the number of projects completed, but the success of this program would not have been possible without the Foundation's unwavering support and commitment to Rebuilding Together's ideals and mission.

The Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation has forged an incredibly unique and impactful relationship with Rebuilding Together, helping to implement programs, projects and ideas that would otherwise not have reached low-income homeowners. They have become a leader in the low-income housing crusade and have strengthened the position of Rebuilding Together across the country.

"The Foundation's continued support has allowed Rebuilding Together to experience incredible growth, specifically in our Safe at Home and Green Housing National programs," said Gary A. Officer, CEO and President of Rebuilding Together. "They have been a great leader in the housing community and we are proud to give them this award."

The Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation joins past Community Builder honorees: The American Petroleum Institute; Booz Allen Hamilton; Honeywell; Past NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue; and Sears Holdings.

About Rebuilding Together

Rebuilding Together is the nation's leading nonprofit organization working to preserve affordable homeownership and revitalize neighborhoods by providing critical home repair and modification services to those in need at no cost to homeowners. 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. In addition to its core home repair work, Rebuilding Together also rehabilitates community centers and conducts home modification and repair programs that focus on aging in place. Rebuilding Together has programs dedicated to ageing in place, energy efficiency, veteran's housing, and disaster recovery and reconstruction. For more information, visit www.RebuildingTogether.org

SOURCE Rebuilding Together