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Rebuilding Together and International Code Council Foundation Team Up for Project H.E.R.O.

Posted on: Wednesday, 4 March 2009, 12:04 CST

Program Will Help Disabled Vets

WASHINGTON, March 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Rebuilding Together today announced that it will team with the International Code Council Foundation (ICCF) to further assist disabled active duty military and veterans with home modifications for the disabled as well as critical repairs. Rebuilding Together and the members of the International Code Council will combine their expertise to assist veterans and their families through the Project H.E.R.O. (Homes Eliminated of Restrictions and Obstacles) program.

Rebuilding Together and the ICC joined forces in fall 2008 and held their first combined project in December of 2008 to assist Heidi Kruger and her 12 year-old son, Joshua Kruger, who suffers from Duchene Muscular Dystrophy - a severe form of muscular dystrophy characterized by rapid muscle degeneration and eventual paralysis. Heidi, an Army veteran who served in the eighties, is a single mother and works from home to care for Joshua full time.

"The International Code Council Foundation created this program to help America's heroes, our active duty military and veterans, enjoy the essential benefits of building safety," said Council CEO Rick Weiland. "This initiative is perfectly suited to Code Council members because they dedicate their professional lives to service and so often donate their personal time as well."

Rebuilding Together and the ICCF have teamed up on two additional projects through Project H.E.R.O. since December. The organizations are planning to activate the Council's more than 40,000 members this Spring to encourage volunteerism on Rebuilding Together's veterans housing projects across the country and raise money in support of Project H.E.R.O. The effort will coincide with the ICCF Building Safety Week in early May.

Project H.E.R.O. is an innovative program aimed at improving the lives of disabled veterans across the United States. It blends the volunteer spirit and expertise of the International Code Council and its Foundation (ICCF) with the home rehabilitation expertise of Rebuilding Together and its dedicated Veterans Housing staff. The project goal is to make homes accessible, one veteran at a time.

To learn more about the partnership between Rebuilding Together and the International Code Council, please visit www.rebuildingtogether.org/projecthero or call 1.800.473.4229.

About Rebuilding Together:

Rebuilding Together is the nation's largest nonprofit organization working to preserve affordable homeownership and revitalize neighborhoods by providing home repair and renovation services at no cost to those in need. Through the support of corporate sponsors, local businesses and the hands-on work of over 200,000 volunteers, Rebuilding Together renovates and repairs nearly 10,000 homes and nonprofit facilities annually with a market value of nearly $100 million.

In addition to its core home repair work, Rebuilding Together renovates community centers and conducts home modification and repair programs that focus on elder home safety, energy efficiency, veterans housing, and disaster recovery and reconstruction. Rebuilding Together has more than 200 affiliates nationwide. For more information, visit www.RebuildingTogether.org.

About the ICCF:

The International Code Council Foundation is a subsidiary of the International Code Council (ICC), a membership association dedicated to building safety and fire prevention. The Council develops the codes used to construct residential and commercial buildings, including homes and schools. Most U.S. cities, counties and states that adopt codes choose the International Codes developed by the International Code Council. The Foundation (ICCF) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with the mission to promote consumer education and professional development concerning ideas, methods and technologies to encourage the construction of safe, sustainable buildings and homes to minimize the devastating effects of natural disasters and other building tragedies.

SOURCE Rebuilding Together

Source: PR Newswire

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