Giving Pre-Game a New Name...and an Impactful Purpose

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Feb 03, 2010, 01:36 ET

Rebuilding Together Hosts 15th Annual NFL Sanctioned 'Kickoff to Rebuild'

Title Sponsor Comfort Inn by Choice Hotels & 'The Steve Harvey Morning Show' Join Forces With NFL Stars to Revitalize a Community and Celebrate Commitment to Giving Back

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The national nonprofit Rebuilding Together will trade in the customary pre-game festivities during Super Bowl XLIV in Miami and join their Rebuilding Together Miami-Dade affiliate and over 300 volunteers for the 15th annual "Kickoff to Rebuild." This highly anticipated, NFL sanctioned charity event occurs every year in the host city of the Super Bowl and creates a lasting impact by revitalizing communities in need.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090421/REBUILDINGLOGO)

Tailgating of a different type will occur on February 4 as volunteers revitalize the historic neighborhood of Coconut Grove in Miami. Rebuilding Together's national partners for "Kickoff To Rebuild" include: Choice Hotels, Kmart, Bridgestone, Pepsi Bottling Group, and the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA). They will be part of a 300 person volunteer team on this one impactful day. Local and national sponsors and celebrity guests as well as current and former NFL players will work together to rehabilitate 7 homes of low-income homeowners and revitalize historic Coconut Grove.

In addition to financial support and volunteerism, Rebuilding Together's partners are jumping in to make the event truly memorable: Comfort Inn by Choice Hotels is bringing the famous Steve Harvey Morning Show for a live broadcast; Kmart will be giving each of the 7 homeowners a gift certificate to Kmart for $1,000, and will be supplying all the appliances being installed that day; and the Pepsi Bottling Group will be providing all the beverages for volunteers.

The Steve Harvey Morning Show will broadcast live from the event site from 6-10 AM on center stage, and will be followed by a block party celebration from 10-2 PM which includes local entertainment and vendors. During this time Rebuilding Together will also collect financial donations for disaster relief in Haiti. The mass- volunteer effort will begin at 8:30 AM; led by former Miami Dolphin legend Dick Anderson and honorary Rebuilding Together house captains: former NFL kickers Bill and Martin Gramatica, Brandon Jones of the San Francisco 49ers, and other players. As honorary house captains, they put their teams to work providing home repairs, distributing homeowner resource kits, and providing clean up and landscaping.

Follow the event live on Twitter @RebldgTogthr or on Facebook at Facebook.com/rebuildingtogether.

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 aging in place, energy efficiency, veteran's housing, and disaster recovery and reconstruction. For more information, visit www.RebuildingTogether.org.

About Choice Hotels

Choice Hotels International, Inc. franchises more than 6,000 hotels, representing more than 485,000 rooms in the United States and more than 35 other countries and territories. As of September 30, 2009, more than 700 hotels are under construction, awaiting conversion or approved for development in the United States, representing more than 59,000 rooms, and more than 100 hotels, representing approximately 9,400 rooms, are under construction, awaiting conversion or approved for development in more than 20 other countries and territories. The company's Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn brands serve guests worldwide. In addition, via its Ascend Collection membership program, travelers in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean have upscale lodging options at historic, boutique and unique hotels.

Additional corporate information may be found on the Choice Hotels International, Inc. Web site, which may be accessed at www.choicehotels.com.

About The Steve Harvey Morning Show

The Steve Harvey Morning Show is uplifting and inspirational, covering issues and community concerns that touch everyone. Hosted by New York Times Bestselling Author and Comedian Steve Harvey, Shirley Strawberry, Nephew Tommy, and Carla Ferrell, the Morning Show combines compelling stories and interviews with humor, great music and hot celebrities from the entertainment and sports world. The Steve Harvey Morning Show can be heard in 64 markets from mainstream Hip Hop to Adult Contemporary, and has more than 7 million listeners and growing.

Choice Hotels, Choice Hotels International, Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn and Ascend Collection are proprietary trademarks and service marks of Choice Hotels International.