Christian McCaffrey and his friends at Lowe’s both share a deep respect for those who serve and have served in the military.
The Panthers running back has made efforts to honor veterans since becoming a household name in the NFL and Lowe’s has always valued those who protect our freedom.
McCaffrey is co-captain of the Lowe’s Home Team, which is comprised of 32 players from across the league who will complete community projects in their NFL city, and he kicked off his local project by supporting Veterans Bridge Home.
VBH is a Charlotte-based organization that connects veterans and their families, from across the Carolinas, to community to rebuild their purpose, connections and support after military service.
Lowe’s will transform a portion of the VBH office into a welcome lounge, which will also be used as an event space. Another important partner on this renovation is Little Diversified Architectural Consulting, a design firm that agreed to take on the project pro-bono. The firm previously executed Lowe’s Uptown Tech Center upfit and they are working on the new Southend Design Center.
"The idea is to highlight the military, make a place that's welcoming, open, community-friendly and with better lighting, better seating, much more open office space for not only our partners in the community that are there to support veterans, but also for veterans themselves and their friends to connect,” said VBH executive director Blake Bourne. “By creating this lounge and this space, we sort of feel like it's a living room or a way to bring everyone together that cares about and has served in the military."
McCaffrey will be providing signed memorabilia for the lounge and is slated to speak with VBH families in the near future. Construction will soon be underway, and the new office is set to open early in 2021.
“The opportunity to partner with Lowe’s to benefit our military community I really think is meaningful for both organizations,” said Panthers director of community relations Riley Fields. “We’re both regionally based here in the Carolinas, so our roots are here in the Carolinas. When you look at the number of active duty and veterans that call this region home, you’ve got approximately 170,000 active-duty service members, approximately a million veterans that call the Carolinas home. I think it’s especially gratifying to be in a position where we can do something to support and provide resources for those that have served our country.”
Added Bourne: “To have (Lowe’s and the Panthers) be a part of this, for them to step forward and to put resources to say we want to be supportive, we want to provide this special place for veterans, it means the world because that’s a sign that this community cares about its veterans. It’s a sign that they recognize what veterans have done in uniform, but also it importantly recognizes what they can still do here at home.”