Lowe’s and Johnson Race for Relief

WILKESBORO, N.C. (Sept. 19, 2003) – In response to Hurricane Isabel, Lowe's and NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson are “Racing for Relief” to generate funds for the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Lowe's will donate $50,000 to the American Red Cross at the beginning of this weekend's Dover 400, and for every lap that Johnson completes, Lowe's will donate an additional $48 (Johnson's car number). If Johnson wins the race, Lowe's will round the donation up to a total of $100,000. Lowe's first introduced Racing for Relief in April of 2000. To date, the program has helped disaster relief efforts for hurricanes, tornados and floods, raising more than $156,000. "Racing for Relief allows me the opportunity to pitch in and lend a hand, while I do what I do best -- driving," said Johnson, driver of No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet and member of the American Red Cross Celebrity Cabinet. "I'm glad I can do my part to support the American Red Cross and the people affected by Hurricane Isabel." Racing for Relief programs will include the following: * Sept. 21 Dover 400 race. * Customer Donation Program at all Lowe's stores. * Online contributions for the American Red Cross will be accepted at Lowes.com and Lowesracing.com. "Money raised through the Lowe's Racing for Relief will help the American Red Cross provide for disaster victims with basic emergency needs -- food, shelter, clothing, replacement mediation and mental health services -- following Isabel and thousands of other disasters throughout the year," said Terry Sicilia, senior vice president of disaster services, American Red Cross. "We will be able to provide immediate assistance to disaster victims because of the financial support companies like Lowe's provides to us." Lowe's supports the American Red Cross as part of its commitment to help people prepare for and recover from natural disasters. Lowe's serves as an official American Red Cross cash donation site and responds to disasters by contributing to local and national Red Cross disaster relief funds, donating vital emergency products and supplying volunteers for local cleanup efforts. Lowe's is a proud supporter of the American Red Cross, United Way of America, Habitat for Humanity International and the Home Safety Council, in addition to numerous non-profit organizations and programs that help communities across the country. Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation awards more than $1.5 million annually to individuals and organizations across the United States. Lowe's also encourages volunteerism through the Lowe's Heroes program, a corporate-wide employee volunteer program addressing unintentional home injuries. Lowe's, a Fortune 100 company with sales of $26.5 billion, has more than 900 stores in 45 states. For more information, visit Lowes.com. Governed by volunteers and supported by community donations, the American Red Cross is a nationwide network of nearly 1,000 chapters and Blood Services regions dedicated to saving lives and helping people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Led by 1.2 million volunteers and 30,000 employees, the Red Cross annually mobilizes relief to families affected by more than 67,000 disasters, trains almost 12 million people in lifesaving skills and exchanges more than a million emergency messages for U.S. military service personnel and their families. The Red Cross is the largest supplier of blood and blood products to more than 3,000 hospitals across the nation and also assists victims of international disasters and conflicts at locations worldwide.