Rebuilding Together Celebrates 1000 Gulf Coast Homes Rebuilt During National Conference

Article type: Press Release

WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 10, 2011 – Rebuilding Together, the nation’s leading nonprofit working to preserve affordable homeownership, is holding its 2011 Annual Conference in New Orleans, November 10 – 12. This year, Rebuilding Together also celebrates the completion of Rebuild 1000.

After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005, Rebuilding Together created the initiative Rebuild 1000, a commitment to rebuild 1,000 hurricane-damaged and destroyed homes throughout the Gulf Coast. During Rebuilding Together’s National Conference, the 200 Rebuilding Together affiliates will join together to celebrate the success of Rebuild 1000.

The 1000th homeowner, Mr. Columbus, will be welcomed back into a newly renovated home on November 11. The Rebuilding Together Affiliate Network celebrates his homecoming, as well as the efforts of Rebuilding Together’s volunteers and sponsors in a ceremony, which Mr. Columbus, DIY Network’s Chris Grundy, and Mayor Mitch Landrieu will attend.

Rebuilding Together has three affiliates located throughout the Gulf Coast, who have a strong presence within their communities: Rebuilding Together New Orleans, Rebuilding Together Acadiana, and Rebuilding Together Calcasieu. They have collectively operated in their communities for over 50 years and continue to impact their communities.

“Rebuilding Together’s National Conference this year is especially important to our organization,” said Gary A. Officer, the president and CEO of Rebuilding Together. “This year, we celebrate a multitude of successes, including the successful completion of Rebuild 1000. Rebuilding Together has had one of the greatest rebuilding and revitalization impacts on the post-Katrina Gulf Coast. Our affiliates have organized and hosted over 25,000 volunteer teams to rebuild homes and have reinvested millions of dollars back into Gulf Coast communities.”

Rebuilding Together’s National Conference events include an official Ribbon Cutting on the 1000th home on November 11 at 2:00pm. Mayor Mitch Landrieu and additional local New Orleans leaders will be present during the ceremony. In addition, U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu will address the Rebuilding Together Affiliate Network during the conference.

This year’s National Conference Sponsors: Shell, CNA, Harrah’s, HGTV and DIY Network, and Sears, join Rebuilding Together to celebrate Rebuild 1000 and take part in conference. To learn more about the Rebuild 1000 Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, contact: Lynn Long. C: 504-669-0576 E: L2media@cox.net .

About Rebuilding Together Rebuilding Together is the nation's leading nonprofit organization working to preserve affordable homeownership and revitalize neighborhoods by providing extensive rehabilitation and modification services to those in need at no cost to those served. With the help of everyday citizen volunteers, skilled tradespeople, 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. Rebuilding Together has programs dedicated to energy efficiency, veterans' housing, aging in place and Gulf Coast reconstruction. For more information, visit www.RebuildingTogether.org. You can also follow Rebuilding Together on Twitter @rebldgtogthr or become a fan on Facebook at Facebook.com/RebuildingTogether

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