USO Centers to Receive Makeovers Just in Time for the Holidays

USO Centers to Receive Makeovers Just in Time for the Holidays

Lowe's employees will volunteer to remodel 16 USO locations nationwide

MOORESVILLE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Lowe's Companies, Inc. and the USO will announce today a program to make over 16 USO centers nationwide to revitalize the places where our troops rest, relax and spend time while off-duty. Lowe's, with the support of vendor partners, will provide the products and volunteers to complete these makeovers - just in time to welcome troops home for the holidays.

The "Thank You" bumper sticker will be available, free of charge, at Lowe's stores nationwide. (Photo: Business Wire)

Lowe's Heroes volunteers will lead the renovation projects, which will include painting, installing carpet and updating lighting, among other repairs. Lowe's Heroes is a company-wide volunteer initiative that offers Lowe's employees the opportunity to work on projects in their own neighborhoods, helping to make their communities better places to live, work and play.

"What a great way to say thank you to our troops and their families," said Sloan Gibson, president of the USO. "We continue to salute Lowe's for the company's commitment to helping our men and women in uniform who served and continue to serve our nation."

Military personnel and family members visited USO centers more than 5.3 million times in 2009. Services include free Internet and e-mail access, libraries and reading rooms, housing assistance, family crisis counseling, support groups, game rooms and nursery facilities.

Lowe's will conduct makeovers at the following USO centers across the country:

    --  USO Airport Georgia - Savannah, Ga.
    --  USO Fort Bliss - El Paso, Texas
    --  USO Fort Hood - Killeen, Texas
    --  USO Fort Drum - New York, N.Y.
    --  USO Great Lakes - Great Lakes, Ill.
    --  USO Hampton Roads - Norfolk, Va.
    --  USO Houston - Houston, Texas
    --  USO Los Angeles - Los Angeles, Calif.
    --  USO Missouri - St. Louis, Mo.
    --  USO Naval Air Station - Pensacola, Fla.
    --  USO New York - New York, N.Y.
    --  USO North Carolina - Jacksonville, N.C.
    --  USO Pensacola Airport Center - Pensacola, Fla.
    --  USO Puget Sound - Seattle, Wash.
    --  USO Rocky Mountain - Denver, Colo.
    --  USO San Diego - San Diego, Calif.

Lowe's vendor support for the projects includes in-kind product donations from Valspar, Mohawk, 3M, Graco, Harper and Wooster.

To further honor our armed forces on Veterans Day weekend, Lowe's will provide a 10 percent military discount to all active, reserve, honorably discharged and retired military personnel and their immediate family members Nov. 11-15.

Customers also will receive a complimentary, bumper sticker that offers a "Thank You" to our troops. A limited quantity of "Thank You" stickers, with an image of the American flag, will be available in-store during Veterans Day weekend.

In addition, Jimmie Johnson and Team Lowe's 48 have showed their support of the military in a different way every year, through special paint schemes and events recognizing the troops. This weekend, the Team 48 car will proudly feature the "Thank You" paint scheme.

About USO

The USO (United Service Organizations) lifts the spirits of America's troops and their families millions of times each year at thousands of places worldwide. We provide a touch of home through centers at airports and military bases, top quality entertainment and innovative programs and services. We also provide critical support to those who need us most, including forward-deployed troops and their families, wounded warriors and their families, and the families of the fallen.

The USO is a private, non-profit organization, not a government agency. We rely on the generosity of our volunteers and donors. In addition to individual donors and other corporate sponsors, the USO is supported by Worldwide Strategic Partners American Airlines, AT&T Inc., BAE Systems, The Boeing Company, Clear Channel Communications, The Coca-Cola Company, Gallery Furniture, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Procter & Gamble and TriWest Healthcare Alliance. We are also supported through the United Way and Combined Federal Campaign (CFC-11381). To join us in this patriotic mission and to learn more about the USO, please visit www.uso.org.

About Lowe's

With fiscal year 2009 sales of $47.2 billion, Lowe's Companies, Inc. is a FORTUNE(R) 50 company that serves approximately 15 million customers a week at more than 1,725 home improvement stores in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Founded in 1946 and based in Mooresville, N.C., Lowe's is the second-largest home improvement retailer in the world. For more information, visit Lowes.com.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6508283&lang=en


    Source: Lowe's Companies, Inc.