Rebuilding Together, Countrywide, Home Depot Volunteers Provide Home Improvements for Injured Houston Soldier

Serving Those Who SERVE Assists Severely-Injured Veterans With $1 Million Grant From Countrywide Financial Corporation 


HOUSTON, Sept. 7  /PRNewswire/ -- Rebuilding Together(R), the nation's largest volunteer home rehabilitation organization will be in Houston, on Friday, September 8, providing modifications and repairs to the home of Harrison Manyoma through its Serving Those Who SERVE(SM) program. Countrywide(R) Financial Corporation, America's #1 home loan lender*, has contributed $1 million as the founding sponsor of the nationwide program that provides free home modifications to severely-injured soldiers and veterans returning from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Volunteers from Countrywide, Rebuilding Together and The Home Depot(R) will join with local contractors and vendors to assist Mr. Manyoma and his family.

"Serving Those Who SERVE is excited to be working with our Houston affiliate to assist Mr. Manyoma," said Patricia Johnson, president and CEO of Rebuilding Together.  "Veterans and soldiers like Mr. Manyoma have given so much for our country, and with our generous grant from Countrywide Financial Corporation, we will be able to make this house and many more homes safer and more accessible for those suffering life-changing injuries during service abroad."

On July 2, 2004, while serving as a U.S. Army Corporal in Iraq, Mr. Manyoma was severely injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near his Bradley Fighting Vehicle while his unit was on patrol west of Baghdad.  The explosion left Mr. Manyoma with serious burns that cause severe pain, limiting use of his right arm and hand, and requiring him to wear a special compression glove.

"Countrywide is proud to be the founding sponsor of Serving Those Who SERVE as the newest facet of our 10 years of commitment to Rebuilding Together," stated Belinda Everette, Senior Regional Vice President of Countrywide, America's Wholesale Lender, in Houston, and a volunteer at the Manyoma residence.

"Last fall, Countrywide provided initial funding for three Serving Those Who SERVE projects.  With the completion of the last of these projects in March, Rebuilding Together demonstrated the need for this kind of program, and Countrywide proudly committed a million dollars in long-term funding for the program.  We anticipate this grant will allow for the completion of modifications to at least 50 veterans' homes," Everette said.

The September 8 ceremony will feature presentations from Johnson, Everette, and Texas State Senator Mario Gallegos.

Previous Serving Those Who SERVE projects have been completed in Rosedale, MD; Manassas Park, VA; Birmingham, AL; Clinton, MD and Miramar, FL.

For further information about the Serving Those Who SERVE program or to make a contribution on line, go to http://www.servingthosewhoserve.org/.

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 55,000 and more than 900 offices.  For more information about the company, visit Countrywide's website at http://www.countrywide.com/.

*  Source: As ranked for 2005 by Inside Mortgage Finance (Jan. 27, 2006), Copyright 2006.

About Rebuilding Together

Rebuilding Together is America's largest volunteer-based organization preserving and revitalizing houses and communities, and assuring that low-income homeowners, particularly those who are elderly and disabled and families with children live in warmth, safety and independence.  Our goal is to make a sustainable impact in partnership with the community.  For more information, visit http://www.rebuildingtogether.org/. 

DATASOURCE: Rebuilding Together



CONTACT:  Becky Carter, PR and Volunteer Coordinator of Rebuilding

Together, [phone]; or Rick Simon, 1st VP, Corporate Communications of

Countrywide, [phone], or on-site in Houston, [phone]



Web site:  http://www.countrywide.com/

http://www.rebuildingtogether.org/

http://www.servingthosewhoserve.org/ 

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