Lowe's employees to volunteer to remodel 16 USO centers

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Nov. 11, 2010) – Lowe's Companies, Inc. and the USO will announce today a program to make over 16 USO centers nationwide to revitalize the places where our troops rest, relax and spend time while off-duty. Lowe's, with the support of vendor partners, will provide the products and volunteers to complete these makeovers -- just in time to welcome troops home for the holidays. Lowe's Heroes volunteers will lead the renovation projects, which will include painting, installing carpet and updating lighting, among other repairs. Lowe's Heroes is a company-wide volunteer initiative that offers Lowe's employees the opportunity to work on projects in their own neighborhoods, helping to make their communities better places to live, work and play. "What a great way to say thank you to our troops and their families," said Sloan Gibson, president of the USO. "We continue to salute Lowe's for the company's commitment to helping our men and women in uniform who served and continue to serve our nation." Military personnel and family members visited USO centers more than 5.3 million times in 2009. Services include free Internet and e-mail access, libraries and reading rooms, housing assistance, family crisis counseling, support groups, game rooms and nursery facilities. Lowe's will conduct makeovers at the following USO centers across the country: •USO Airport Georgia – Savannah, Ga. •USO Fort Bliss – El Paso, Texas •USO Fort Hood – Killeen, Texas •USO Fort Drum – New York, N.Y. •USO Great Lakes – Great Lakes, Ill. •USO Hampton Roads – Norfolk, Va. •USO Houston – Houston, Texas •USO Los Angeles – Los Angeles, Calif. •USO Missouri – St. Louis, Mo. •USO Naval Air Station – Pensacola, Fla. •USO New York – New York, N.Y. •USO North Carolina – Jacksonville, N.C. •USO Pensacola Airport Center – Pensacola, Fla. •USO Puget Sound – Seattle, Wash. •USO Rocky Mountain – Denver, Colo. •USO San Diego – San Diego, Calif. Lowe's vendor support for the projects includes in-kind product donations from Valspar, Mohawk, 3M, Graco, Harper and Wooster. To further honor our armed forces on Veterans Day weekend, Lowe's will provide a 10 percent military discount to all active, reserve, honorably discharged and retired military personnel and their immediate family members Nov. 11–15. Customers also will receive a complimentary, bumper sticker that offers a "Thank You" to our troops. A limited quantity of "Thank You" stickers, with an image of the American flag, will be available in-store during Veterans Day weekend. In addition, Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 Lowe's Team have showed their support of the military in a different way every year, through special paint schemes and events recognizing the troops. This weekend, the Team 48 car will proudly feature the "Thank You" paint scheme.