PLAN!T NOW, Led by Morgan Freeman, Partners with Rebuilding Together for Katrina Anniversary Rebuild Event: Fifty for Five

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Apr 07, 2010, 02:46 ET

WASHINGTON, April 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Rebuilding Together has announced PLAN!T NOW will join "Fifty for Five," taking place in New Orleans on August 24-28, 2010. A leading advocate of disaster preparedness and encouraging informational exchanges between residents of storm-affected areas and those that prepare areas to withstand the storms; PLAN!T NOW is a perfect collaborator for the "Fifty for Five" event.

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Fifty for Five is Rebuilding Together's monumental event which marks a milestone in Rebuilding Together's "Rebuild 1000" campaign to restore 1000 homes in the Gulf areas that were affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. To date, more than 700 Rebuilding Together homes have been rebuilt in response to the devastation created by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Fifty for Five will take place during the last week of August, during the 5th year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina to rebuild another 50 homes in one community, and to recognize the continued need of low-income homeowners.

"Fifty for Five focuses on rebuilding neighborhoods that were not adequately prepared for the hurricanes, and PLAN!T NOW's interest and expertise in this field positions them as a perfect charity partner for Fifty for Five," said Gary Officer, President and CEO of Rebuilding Together. "PLAN!T NOW and Rebuilding Together have a shared ambition to preserve homeownership by assisting the rebuild of communities in the wake of natural disasters."

PLAN!T NOW, a charitable organization founded by actor Morgan Freeman and others, specializes in disaster preparedness and prevention by encouraging education and supplying information to coastal and island areas in the US, the Caribbean and Central America. The organization was created in 2004 in response to Hurricane Ivan, which caused incredible destruction on the small island of Grenada. Since that time, it has grown to provide information to hurricane-prone areas and provide additional support as needed.

"We'll be onsite at Fifty for Five's Gentilly groundbreaking ceremony, and working pre-event with community organizers to educate kids especially about ways to understand severe weather. This information will protect and empower them for the rest of their lives," said Donna Lee, of PLAN!T NOW.

Fifty for Five will bring together over 1000 volunteers for a week of work in the historic neighborhood of Gentilly, providing significant rehabilitation to 50 homes The event will culminate with a celebration of commitment to New Orleans with a block party and staged performances including celebrities, media, volunteers from Rebuilding Together affiliates around the country, and citizens of New Orleans. PLAN!T NOW and its partners will also be providing materials and information on the crucial aspects of being prepared for hurricanes and any disaster. Education and the passing of information are key to helping a community be ready for the unexpected.

"We are amazed at the work Rebuilding Together has done in the Gulf region, and in the country as a whole, to help people achieve their most essential need, which is for safe, sound housing," stated actor and a founder of PLAN!T NOW, Morgan Freeman. "Helping people secure their families, homes and businesses from hurricanes and severe weather events is P!N's business – and the partnership between our two organizations has the potential to bear much fruit."

PLAN!T NOW will join additional corporate sponsors, media personalities, and Rebuilding Together volunteers and affiliates in the event's week-long activities including; a fifty home rebuild, a community block-style party, awards ceremony, media events, and community celebrations and revitalizations.

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 the service recipients.

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.

ABOUT PLAN!T NOW

PLAN!T NOW advocates the empowerment of people through information and connection, and creates dialogue between people living in hurricane- and severe storm-affected areas and those who prepare coastal regions of the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean to withstand those storms. Operating with the understanding that no matter where you live, a natural disaster can happen at any time, PLAN!T NOW advocates the power of preparedness. www.planitnow.org

SOURCE Rebuilding Together