Countrywide Supports 'Serving Those Who Serve' Initiative
Countrywide Pledges $1 Million to Serving Those Who Serve(SM)
03/27/2006
Founding Sponsor Honors Virginia Army Reservist With Ongoing Commitment to Rebuilding Together's Home Modification Program for Severely Injured Veterans - Additional Funding Sought From Other Companies, Foundations, Individuals -
CALABASAS, Calif., March 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Countrywide Financial Corporation (NYSE: CFC), America's #1 home loan lender* and a provider of diverse financial services, announced Monday that it will extend and expand its support of Rebuilding Together's Serving Those Who Serve initiative for at least two years.
Countrywide has pledged $1 million for the program that provides free home modifications for American military personnel returning from Iraq or Afghanistan with debilitating injuries.
The company has been the founding sponsor of the initiative, announced on Capitol Hill in September. Since then, the program has transformed the homes of three severely injured soldiers.
These projects have facilitated Rebuilding Together's development of the model and building of the infrastructure for the ongoing program. The $1 million contribution was announced during a ceremony at the Manassas Park, VA, home of Joseph and Eva Briseno and their son, Jay, where Rebuilding Together and Countrywide volunteers were completing the third and final introductory project under Countrywide's founding grant. In June 2003, Jay Briseno was shot in the back of the neck while serving as a Civil Affairs Specialist with his U.S. Army Reserve unit in a Baghdad marketplace. His spinal cord was severely damaged, leaving him paralyzed from the chin, down. He lapsed into a coma and had two heart attacks that resulted in anoxic brain damage. Nearly three years after being shot in the line of duty, the 22-year-old veteran still requires a ventilator to help him breathe and a feeding tube for some of his nourishment.
Officials describe him as one of the most severely-injured soldiers to return from Iraq alive.
On Monday, Rebuilding Together volunteers, including about 20 Countrywide employees, were completing extensive modifications to Jay's basement living area to better accommodate his needs and make it easier to care for him. The work included widening and installing doors, rebuilding the bathroom to provide wheelchair accessibility to the shower, painting, upgrading electrical services and lighting, installing a back-up power generator for life support equipment, constructing a screened porch and other improvements. "As the founding sponsor of Serving Those Who Serve, Countrywide provided the initial funding for three projects to lay the groundwork for an ongoing program," said Stan Kurland, president and chief operating officer of CFC. "Rebuilding Together has demonstrated there is need for this kind of program; that it can work, with the assurance of long-term support; and that it is too important to be allowed to end after this initial development phase.
"So, Countrywide is privileged to announce that we are committing $1 million to Rebuilding Together to further create the infrastructure and expand the capacity of the Serving Those Who Serve program and continue it for at least the next two years," Kurland said. "We are making this commitment in honor of Jay Briseno and the entire Briseno family for their service and sacrifice, and as representatives of the thousands of American heroes in similar situations."
While costs for modifications vary with work scope, contributions of supplies and the extent of volunteer labor, Rebuilding Together and Countrywide expect the $1 million contribution will permit home modifications for up to 70 veterans. Additional donations from individuals, foundations and businesses are being sought to provide for further expansion of the program and increase the value of modifications that can be undertaken. "As the nation's leading volunteer organization rehabilitating low-income homes, Rebuilding Together has developed tremendous expertise in the field of home modifications that aid elderly and disabled individuals," said Patty Johnson, president and CEO of Rebuilding Together. "When Countrywide, wanted to develop a program to assist injured veterans, it was a natural extension of our work. We appreciate Countrywide's support over the past six months as the founding sponsor, and particularly are grateful that the company has chosen to expand and continue this work in honor of Jay Briseno and all who have sacrificed in service to our country.
"Countrywide's million-dollar commitment allows Rebuilding Together to move forward with hiring a program manager to bring Serving Those Who Serve up to full speed, and demonstrates the kind of strong corporate leadership that will promote additional fundraising," Johnson added. Countrywide is in its tenth year as a major corporate sponsor of Rebuilding Together's core program which will provide needed home renovations to about 9,000 low-income homeowners who are elderly, disabled and families with children this year. Countrywide volunteers will be working on company-sponsored Rebuilding Together projects in more than 100 communities this spring, the majority of them on Saturday, April 29, designated as the charity's "National Rebuild Day." In addition, the company has provided up to $1 million in lead funding for Rebuild 1,000, Rebuilding Together's special initiative to repair at least 1,000 hurricane-damaged homes for low-income residents in the Gulf Coast region. When the hurricanes hit last fall, planning was well underway for the announcement of Serving Those Who Serve.
In an ambitious undertaking, Countrywide and Rebuilding Together agreed that Serving Those Who Serve could not be given a backseat to hurricane relief, and they needed to move forward on both of these important new programs without delay. To date, more than 17,000 American servicemen and servicewomen have been injured in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Approximately 8,000 have returned from service in the Middle East with debilitating injuries. More than half of the injured are members of the armed forces reserves or National Guard, called away from their families and civilian jobs or, like Jay Briseno, college studies, in duty to the nation.
These injured Reservists and Guardsman may not be eligible for many of the long-term services of the regular military health care delivery system. Serving Those Who Serve can assist veterans who have suffered loss of mobility (including loss of limb and paralysis), loss of sight, loss of hearing, or traumatic brain injury. To qualify for the home modification program, a veteran must have been severely injured 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. Priority is given to veterans and families with income limitations.
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). Actor Jessica Biel is a Serving Those Who Serve volunteer and celebrity spokesperson for the initiative. She is currently filming "Home of the Brave," a movie in which she plays a veteran returning from Iraq with a debilitating injury. Biel features Serving Those Who Serve and Rebuilding Together on the Make The Difference Network Web site (www.mtdn.net) that she co-founded.
Requests and referrals for assistance through Serving Those Who Serve may be made on line at www.servingthosewhoserve.org.
Business firms and foundations interested in more information about becoming national sponsors of Serving Those Who Serve should call Jennifer Shreve, director of development for Rebuilding Together, at (800) 4-REHAB-9, or send an e-mail to her at Jennifer_Shreve@RebuildingTogether.org.
Individual donations may be made on line at www.servingthosewhoserve.org, or may be sent to Rebuilding Together, 1536 16th St. N.W., Washington, DC 20036.
*As ranked for 2005 by Inside Mortgage Finance (Jan. 26, 2006), (C)2006
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; and loan closing services provided by the LandSafe group of companies. Diversified financial services encompass banking, capital markets and insurance, 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; and Balboa Reinsurance, a captive mortgage reinsurance company. Headquartered in Calabasas, California, Countrywide has a global work force of more than 50,000 and more than 800 offices. For more information about the company, visit Countrywide's website at www.countrywide.com.
03/27/2006
Founding Sponsor Honors Virginia Army Reservist With Ongoing Commitment to Rebuilding Together's Home Modification Program for Severely Injured Veterans - Additional Funding Sought From Other Companies, Foundations, Individuals -
CALABASAS, Calif., March 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Countrywide Financial Corporation (NYSE: CFC), America's #1 home loan lender* and a provider of diverse financial services, announced Monday that it will extend and expand its support of Rebuilding Together's Serving Those Who Serve initiative for at least two years.
Countrywide has pledged $1 million for the program that provides free home modifications for American military personnel returning from Iraq or Afghanistan with debilitating injuries.
The company has been the founding sponsor of the initiative, announced on Capitol Hill in September. Since then, the program has transformed the homes of three severely injured soldiers.
These projects have facilitated Rebuilding Together's development of the model and building of the infrastructure for the ongoing program. The $1 million contribution was announced during a ceremony at the Manassas Park, VA, home of Joseph and Eva Briseno and their son, Jay, where Rebuilding Together and Countrywide volunteers were completing the third and final introductory project under Countrywide's founding grant. In June 2003, Jay Briseno was shot in the back of the neck while serving as a Civil Affairs Specialist with his U.S. Army Reserve unit in a Baghdad marketplace. His spinal cord was severely damaged, leaving him paralyzed from the chin, down. He lapsed into a coma and had two heart attacks that resulted in anoxic brain damage. Nearly three years after being shot in the line of duty, the 22-year-old veteran still requires a ventilator to help him breathe and a feeding tube for some of his nourishment.
Officials describe him as one of the most severely-injured soldiers to return from Iraq alive.
On Monday, Rebuilding Together volunteers, including about 20 Countrywide employees, were completing extensive modifications to Jay's basement living area to better accommodate his needs and make it easier to care for him. The work included widening and installing doors, rebuilding the bathroom to provide wheelchair accessibility to the shower, painting, upgrading electrical services and lighting, installing a back-up power generator for life support equipment, constructing a screened porch and other improvements. "As the founding sponsor of Serving Those Who Serve, Countrywide provided the initial funding for three projects to lay the groundwork for an ongoing program," said Stan Kurland, president and chief operating officer of CFC. "Rebuilding Together has demonstrated there is need for this kind of program; that it can work, with the assurance of long-term support; and that it is too important to be allowed to end after this initial development phase.
"So, Countrywide is privileged to announce that we are committing $1 million to Rebuilding Together to further create the infrastructure and expand the capacity of the Serving Those Who Serve program and continue it for at least the next two years," Kurland said. "We are making this commitment in honor of Jay Briseno and the entire Briseno family for their service and sacrifice, and as representatives of the thousands of American heroes in similar situations."
While costs for modifications vary with work scope, contributions of supplies and the extent of volunteer labor, Rebuilding Together and Countrywide expect the $1 million contribution will permit home modifications for up to 70 veterans. Additional donations from individuals, foundations and businesses are being sought to provide for further expansion of the program and increase the value of modifications that can be undertaken. "As the nation's leading volunteer organization rehabilitating low-income homes, Rebuilding Together has developed tremendous expertise in the field of home modifications that aid elderly and disabled individuals," said Patty Johnson, president and CEO of Rebuilding Together. "When Countrywide, wanted to develop a program to assist injured veterans, it was a natural extension of our work. We appreciate Countrywide's support over the past six months as the founding sponsor, and particularly are grateful that the company has chosen to expand and continue this work in honor of Jay Briseno and all who have sacrificed in service to our country.
"Countrywide's million-dollar commitment allows Rebuilding Together to move forward with hiring a program manager to bring Serving Those Who Serve up to full speed, and demonstrates the kind of strong corporate leadership that will promote additional fundraising," Johnson added. Countrywide is in its tenth year as a major corporate sponsor of Rebuilding Together's core program which will provide needed home renovations to about 9,000 low-income homeowners who are elderly, disabled and families with children this year. Countrywide volunteers will be working on company-sponsored Rebuilding Together projects in more than 100 communities this spring, the majority of them on Saturday, April 29, designated as the charity's "National Rebuild Day." In addition, the company has provided up to $1 million in lead funding for Rebuild 1,000, Rebuilding Together's special initiative to repair at least 1,000 hurricane-damaged homes for low-income residents in the Gulf Coast region. When the hurricanes hit last fall, planning was well underway for the announcement of Serving Those Who Serve.
In an ambitious undertaking, Countrywide and Rebuilding Together agreed that Serving Those Who Serve could not be given a backseat to hurricane relief, and they needed to move forward on both of these important new programs without delay. To date, more than 17,000 American servicemen and servicewomen have been injured in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Approximately 8,000 have returned from service in the Middle East with debilitating injuries. More than half of the injured are members of the armed forces reserves or National Guard, called away from their families and civilian jobs or, like Jay Briseno, college studies, in duty to the nation.
These injured Reservists and Guardsman may not be eligible for many of the long-term services of the regular military health care delivery system. Serving Those Who Serve can assist veterans who have suffered loss of mobility (including loss of limb and paralysis), loss of sight, loss of hearing, or traumatic brain injury. To qualify for the home modification program, a veteran must have been severely injured 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. Priority is given to veterans and families with income limitations.
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). Actor Jessica Biel is a Serving Those Who Serve volunteer and celebrity spokesperson for the initiative. She is currently filming "Home of the Brave," a movie in which she plays a veteran returning from Iraq with a debilitating injury. Biel features Serving Those Who Serve and Rebuilding Together on the Make The Difference Network Web site (www.mtdn.net) that she co-founded.
Requests and referrals for assistance through Serving Those Who Serve may be made on line at www.servingthosewhoserve.org.
Business firms and foundations interested in more information about becoming national sponsors of Serving Those Who Serve should call Jennifer Shreve, director of development for Rebuilding Together, at (800) 4-REHAB-9, or send an e-mail to her at Jennifer_Shreve@RebuildingTogether.org.
Individual donations may be made on line at www.servingthosewhoserve.org, or may be sent to Rebuilding Together, 1536 16th St. N.W., Washington, DC 20036.
*As ranked for 2005 by Inside Mortgage Finance (Jan. 26, 2006), (C)2006
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; and loan closing services provided by the LandSafe group of companies. Diversified financial services encompass banking, capital markets and insurance, 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; and Balboa Reinsurance, a captive mortgage reinsurance company. Headquartered in Calabasas, California, Countrywide has a global work force of more than 50,000 and more than 800 offices. For more information about the company, visit Countrywide's website at www.countrywide.com.
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