HGTV Joins Rebuilding Together at 'Fifty for Five' Rebuilding Event in New Orleans

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Jul 06, 2010, 04:31 ET

HGTV's Carter Oosterhouse and Scott McGillivray Will Join Volunteers to Rebuild Homes Devastated by Hurricane Katrina

WASHINGTON, July 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Rebuilding Together and HGTV will partner to rehabilitate 50 hurricane-devastated homes as part of "Fifty for Five" — a five-day event beginning August 24 in New Orleans — that will result in homeowners returning to their homes to live in safe and comfortable conditions. More than 1,000 volunteers from across the country will help restore the Gentilly neighborhood that was hit hard by hurricanes Rita and Katrina. Throughout the week, volunteers, residents and celebrities, including HGTV's Carter Oosterhouse (Carter Can) and Scott McGillivray (Income Property), will help with renovation projects. On Saturday, August 28, volunteers will participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completed projects and the ongoing commitment to restore New Orleans.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090421/REBUILDINGLOGO )

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

"Each person's contribution — whether it's painting a wall, planting a tree or writing a check — can make a big difference for a worthwhile effort like Rebuilding Together's 'Fifty for Five,'" said Jim Samples, president, HGTV. "We all still have a lot of work to do to bring New Orleans back. Our partnership has been a wonderful way for us to encourage HGTV fans to support 'Fifty for Five' and the many other volunteer efforts to renovate and rebuild communities across the country."

Since 2005, Rebuilding Together has mobilized large-scale rehabilitation efforts to over 700 hurricane-damaged communities in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region. The homes in the Gentilly neighborhood, which were submerged in up to eight feet of water after the levees failed during Hurricane Katrina, will receive extensive renovations, as well as new appliances and general work to revitalize the neighborhood.

"As a leader in the nonprofit housing industry, we are pleased to welcome HGTV, the leader in home and lifestyle television for this week of community-wide rehabilitation," said Gary A. Officer, president and CEO of Rebuilding Together. "We look forward to working with HGTV to deliver images and stories that capture all the work that will be completed during the 'Fifty for Five' event and we're thrilled that Carter and Scott are committed to the effort."

HGTV and Rebuilding Together first joined forces in 2007 for the launch of HGTV Change the World. Start at Home campaign. The campaign has generated many community revitalization projects, special events and television programs, including HGTV's Change the World: American Heroes, which documented the transformation of two veteran facilities in St. Louis and Philadelphia. Most recently, HGTV selected Rebuilding Together as its Charity of Choice for 2010.

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 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. Rebuilding Together has programs dedicated to, energy efficiency, veteran's 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.

For additional event information, visit www.fiftyforfive.org.

About HGTV

HGTV, America's leader in home and lifestyle programming, is distributed to more than 99 million U.S. households and is one of cable's top-rated networks. HGTV's website, HGTV.com, is the nation's leading online home-and-garden destination and attracts an average of 5 million unique visitors per month.

SOURCE Rebuilding Together