Countrywide Is Founding Sponsor of Home Modification Program for
Severely Injured Veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom
WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Rebuilding Together, the nation's
leading volunteer-based organization involved in rehabilitating low-income
homes and communities, has announced a new initiative to provide modifications
to the homes of American military personnel who return from Iraq or
Afghanistan with severe, debilitating injuries.
The program, called Serving Those Who Serve, will assist selected,
qualified veterans who have suffered loss of mobility (including loss of limb
and paralysis), loss of sight, loss of hearing or traumatic brain injury. It
was unveiled at a Capitol Hill news conference attended by members of Congress
who are serving as honorary co-chairs and advisors for the effort.
Countrywide Financial Corporation (NYSE: CFC), the nation's largest
residential mortgage lender*, is the founding sponsor of Serving Those Who
Serve. For nine years, the company has been a prominent national sponsor of
Rebuilding Together's established home renovation program for low-income
elderly, disabled and families with children, which helps sustain the American
dream for thousands of homeowners annually.
"Countrywide has stepped up with the critical initial funding necessary
for us to establish the model and processes for a home modification program
specifically serving injured military personnel," said Patty Johnson,
president and CEO of Rebuilding Together. "This includes funding and
volunteer support for initial projects this fall, at the same time that we are
engaged in a concentrated fundraising campaign to expand and maximize the
program's capacity so we can assist as many qualified veterans as possible in
the coming years."
To date, more than 14,000 American servicemen and servicewomen have been
injured in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
Approximately 6,000 have returned from service in the Middle East with
physically debilitating injuries. More than half of the injured are members
of the armed forces reserves or National Guard, uprooted from their civilian
jobs and their families. These injured Reservists and Guardsman may not be
eligible for many of the long-term services of the regular military health
care delivery system.
"No matter what one believes about the propriety of America's involvement
in Iraq and Afghanistan, we must all be proud and supportive of the men and
women who have been called to service and let them know we are concerned about
their well-being," said Jim Furash, president and CEO of Countrywide Bank,
N.A., an Alexandria, VA-based subsidiary of CFC. "As a recognized leader in
the field of home modifications that provide safety and independence to the
physically handicapped, Rebuilding Together can help those who have suffered
life-changing disabilities while serving our nation.
"Countrywide is proud to join in this effort as the founding sponsor of
Serving Those Who Serve, and encourages other corporations, as well as
individuals, to join us and meet the needs of as many of these brave men and
women as possible."
More than 30 members of Congress have signed on to the Serving Those Who
Serve honorary advisory committee. Co-chairs are Senators Dianne Feinstein
(D-CA) and Ted Stevens (R-AK), and Representatives Spencer Bachus (R-AL) and
Silvestre Reyes (D-TX).
The Military Severely Injured Support Operations Center, a division of the
Department of Defense, and Walter Reed Army Medical Center are assisting
Rebuilding Together in establishing military outreach and protocol.
The inaugural projects of Serving Those Who Serve are tentatively set
around Veterans' Day. These initial projects will be funded by Countrywide
and leverage skilled and unskilled volunteers from Countrywide and local
Rebuilding Together affiliates. Rebuilding Together is in the process of
identifying recipients for those initial projects, as well as accepting
pre-applications for the expanded program's services in 2006 and beyond.
Requests for services through Serving Those Who Serve can be made on line
at http://www.RebuildingTogether.org/stws. To qualify for the home modification
program, a veteran must have suffered a severe physical injury while on active
duty with American forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring
Freedom. The home must be the primary residence of the injured veteran and
owned by the qualifying veteran or his or her family.
Business firms interested in becoming national sponsors of Serving Those
Who Serve should contact Howard Silberstein, vice president of marketing for
Rebuilding Together, at (800) 9-4REHAB, or
Howard_Silberstein@RebuildingTogether.org.
Individual donations may be made on line at
http://www.RebuildingTogether.org/stws, or may be sent to Rebuilding Together, 1536
16th St. N.W., Washington DC 20036.
About Rebuilding Together
Rebuilding Together is America's largest volunteer-based organization
preserving and revitalizing houses and communities, and assuring that
low-income homeowners, particularly those who are elderly and disabled and
families with children live in warmth, safety and independence. Our goal is
to make a sustainable impact in partnership with the community. For more
information, visit http://www.rebuildingtogether.org.
About Countrywide
Founded in 1969, Countrywide Financial Corporation is a member of the S&P
500, Forbes Global 2000 and Fortune 500. Through its family of companies,
Countrywide provides mortgage banking and diversified financial services.
Mortgage banking businesses include loan production and loan servicing
principally through Countrywide Home Loans, Inc., which originates, purchases,
securitizes, sells, and services prime and nonprime loans. Also included in
Countrywide's mortgage banking segment is the LandSafe group of companies
which provides loan closing services. Diversified financial services
encompass banking, capital markets, insurance, and global operations, largely
through the activities of Countrywide Bank, N.A., a bank offering depository
and home loan products; Countrywide Capital Markets, a mortgage-related
investment banker with offices in the U.S., U.K. and Japan; Balboa Life and
Casualty Group, whose companies are national providers of property, life and
casualty insurance; Balboa Reinsurance, a captive mortgage reinsurance
company; and Global Home Loans, a U.K. mortgage banking joint venture in which
Countrywide holds a majority interest. The company is headquartered in
Calabasas, California, and has a global work force of approximately 50,000 and
more than 800 offices. For more information about the company, visit
Countrywide's website at http://www.countrywide.com.
* As ranked for 2004 by Inside Mortgage Finance (Jan. 28, 2005),
Copyright 2005
SOURCE Rebuilding Together
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Related links:
http://www.rebuildingtogether.org
CONTACT:
Jennifer Shreve of Rebuilding Together,
+1-800-9-4REHAB, Jennifer_shreve@rebuildingtogether.org; or Rick
Simon of Countrywide, +1-800-796-8448, rick_simon@countrywide.com
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