Academy of Country Music and The Home Depot(R) Select Country Music Artist Leann Rimes to Receive Humanitarian Award

HONOR TO BE PRESENTED DURING THE 44th ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS TO AIR LIVE FROM MGM GRAND IN LAS VEGAS SUNDAY, APRIL 5 AT 8 P.M. ET/PT ON CBS

ENCINO, Calif., Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ — The Academy of Country Music, dick clark productions and The Home Depot(R) announced today that multi-platinum singer/songwriter LEANN RIMES will be the 2009 recipient of the Academy of Country Music/The Home Depot Humanitarian Award, to be presented during the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. The show will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 5, 2009 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.

In its eighth year, the Humanitarian Award recognizes country music artists who serve others, have a generous spirit and help build the dreams of those in need. Country music superstar LEANN RIMES was selected by a special blue-ribbon committee comprised of executives in the country music industry and local and national philanthropic leaders, for her ongoing community service and charitable giving of her time and talent.

Rimes has made giving back a priority in her career and has been particularly devoted to children’s causes. She previously served as the International Spokesperson for Children’s Miracle Network, which secures top-flight medical care for sick kids, and has generously supported Camp C.O.P.E., a service that teaches the children of wounded veterans to deal with their parents’ altered lives.

In 2007, Rimes partnered with Kellogg to draw attention to disabled veterans when she was featured on patriotic cereal boxes. She recorded the song “I Want You With Me” for this project and donated all proceeds from the song to the cause.

Rimes also financed construction of the LeAnn Rimes Adventure Gym at the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in Nashville by contributing royalties from her 2000 hit single, “I Need You.” Additionally, she is an ardent supporter of the Nashville Humane Association and continues to speak out on the need to treat animals compassionately.

Rimes has previously been honored with the International Entertainment Buyers Association Humanitarian Award and Redbook magazine’s “Strength and Spirit Award,” for her distinguished record of charitable achievements.

“I feel blessed to be able to help,” said Rimes. “I strive to be actively involved in my community with my time and my heart, and I’ve been touched by the spirit and bravery of those I have encountered along the way. I’m honored that The Home Depot and the Academy have chosen to recognize my work and spread awareness of the worthy causes that inspire me.”

As the recipient of the Humanitarian Award, LEANN RIMES will receive a beautiful crystal trophy designed by Tiffany & Co. during the live CBS telecast. She will also be honored with a playground donated by The Home Depot and their national nonprofit partner KaBOOM!, which envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. The playground will be built by The Home Depot volunteers and community members in the city of LEANN RIMES‘ choice. Past recipients of the Humanitarian Award include Brooks & Dunn, Vince Gill, Martina McBride, Neal McCoy, Reba McEntire, Lonestar and Rascal Flatts.

“Philanthropy and giving back are core values at The Home Depot and something we share with the country music community,” said Frank Bifulco, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at The Home Depot. “We’re honored to recognize LeAnn for her long-standing dedication to helping those in need and raising awareness for the causes she supports. She represents the values of charitable giving and community service held by both The Home Depot and the Academy of Country Music.”

THE RECIPIENT

LeAnn Rimes has sold more than 37 million records, won three Academy of Country Music Awards, two Grammy Awards, an American Music Award, and 12 Billboard Awards. She’s scored numerous hit singles, among them “One Way Ticket,” “I Need You,” “Nothin’ ‘Bout Love Makes Sense,” “Probably Wouldn’t Be This Way,” “Can’t Fight The Moonlight,” which was a #1 song in 11 countries, and “How Do I Live,” which was the longest running single ever on the Billboard Hot 100, spending a record-setting 69 weeks on the chart. “How Do I Live” was also recently chosen by Billboard as the 4th most popular song of the last 50 years, since the inception of the Billboard charts. She has written children books, acted in film and on television and has become a musical icon both in the U.S. and in Europe. On March 21st, Rimes will star in the Lifetime original film “Nora Roberts’ Northern Lights.”

In 2007, she released her 12th studio album Family for which she wrote or co-wrote all of the tracks. The album has yielded hit singles such as “Nothin’ Better To Do” and “What I Cannot Change.” Inspired by the latter’s lyrics, Rimes launched WhatICannotChange.com for fans to share their personal stories of forgiveness and acceptance. Overwhelmed by the influx of comments and stories, Rimes has turned the site’s contents and single’s lyrics into a companion book What I Cannot Change, due out on April 14 from Harper Studio. Currently, she is writing songs for the follow up to Family and preparing to lobby Congress to garner much needed funds and raise awareness of psoriasis, a personal issue for which she has become a spokesperson.

THE HOME DEPOT

The Home Depot(R) is the world’s largest home improvement specialty retailer, with 2,275 retail stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, 10 Canadian provinces, Mexico and China. In fiscal 2007, The Home Depot had sales of $77.3 billion and earnings from continuing operations of $4.2 billion. The Company employs more than 300,000 associates. The Home Depot’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: HD) and is included in the Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor’s 500 index.

ABOUT THE ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS

The 44th Academy of Country Music Awards is dedicated to honoring and showcasing the biggest names and emerging talent in the country music industry. The show is produced for television by dick clark productions and will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 5, 2009 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network. Orly Adelson and R.A. Clark are executive producers, Barry Adelman is producer and Bob Bardo is executive in charge of production.

For more information on the ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC and the ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, please visit www.acmcountry.com.

SOURCE The Academy of Country Music