Rebuilding Together and Lowe’s Host Fifth Annual Building a Healthy Neighborhood

Washington, D.C., October 5, 2015 – Rebuilding Together — a leading national nonprofit in safe and healthy housing that provides low-income homeowners with critical home repairs — will join together with its affiliate, Rebuilding Together St. Louis, to lead its fifth annual Building a Healthy Neighborhood community revitalization project. The effort, supported by lead partner Lowe’s and 275 of its Lowe’s Heroes employee volunteers, will be held in St. John, a small community in St. Louis County, this October 8–10, and is expected to provide more than $760,000 in market value back to the community.
Nearly 500 community and corporate partner volunteers will join together to provide critical repairs for 14 homes and to revitalize a neighborhood community space. The majority of homeowners impacted are longtime members of the St. Louis community and range in need of support. Volunteers will participate in a variety of repairs including flooring repairs and replacement, weatherization repairs, roof and handrail replacements, accessibility modifications, painting, landscaping, and other major home rehabilitations.
Building a Healthy Neighborhood exemplifies the efforts central to the mission of Rebuilding Together, helping to solve for the urgent need for a safe and healthy home for every person. Recognizing that unsafe or unhealthy living conditions at home account for many of the leading causes of preventable fatality, illness and disability, today – this annual effort demonstrates the positive effects of home and neighborhood revitalization on the overall health of homeowners, families and communities, and has given back nearly $2.5 million in market value nationwide, to-date.
This effort is made possible through the generous support of the event’s national and local partners, including lead partner Lowe’s, as well as Charter Communications (through its Charter our Communityinitiative), Emerson, Bank of America, CBRE, Pepsi, MiTek and Eagle Bank and Trust Company of Missouri.
In addition to making critical repairs to several homes, Lowe’s Heroes will work to transform an empty St. John neighborhood lot into a community garden, named by the community “Unity Park.” The park will be located on the corner of Hume Avenue and Walton Road and will welcome the community with its beautiful greenery, walking trails, fountains and sitting areas and benches.
“Lowe’s is thrilled to partner with Rebuilding Together on a project that will have such a deep and long-lasting impact,” said Joan Higginbotham, Lowe’s director of community relations. “Our employees are proud to volunteer alongside so many others and make a difference in the St. John community.”
“This is a true community revitalization effort, and we appreciate the support, dedication and hard work put forth by Rebuilding Together St. Louis and our volunteers, in addition to the generous financial contributions of our sponsors. With this support, we are closer to achieving our vision of a safe and healthy home for every person,” said Sandra Henriquez, interim president and CEO of Rebuilding Together.
For more information about Building a Healthy Neighborhood, please visit www.rebuildingtogether.org/bahn.