Alan Jackson and Ply Gem® (NYSE: PGEM), a manufacturer of building products, helped dedicate a house built with a local family as part of the Habitat for Humanity national Home Builders Blitz week.
Ply Gem partnered with Jackson to serve as the ambassador of the Home for Good project, and his song, “You Can Always Come Home,” is the anthem for the program, emphasizing that having a place to call home is both fortunate and comforting.
“This is the reason why I love this country so much – we step up and we give of our time. Thank you Ply Gem and Habitat for Humanity,” Jackson said before giving the house keys to new Rutherford County Area Habitat homeowner Keosha Hendricks, and her daughter Akori’ Yanah. “This is just a house, but you and Akori’ will make it a home.”
Hendricks brushed away tears as she received keys to the house she helped build.
“I’m so grateful to be a part of this program. The experience has been amazing and my daughter is going to have a stable, healthy home,” she said through tears. “Thank you Habitat, Ply Gem and Alan. We finally have a home to call our own.”
Ply Gem, headquartered in Cary, North Carolina, is the presenting sponsor of Habitat’s Home Builders Blitz, in which professional builders in 31 states worked this week alongside nearly 250 Habitat homeowners to build or repair their homes. The sponsorship is one component of the Home for Good project – a multi-year initiative that includes the donation of more than $1 million of performance siding and windows and funds for Habitat for Humanity to use to help families build nearly 300 homes in 2016, alone. Home Builders Blitz kicked off June 6 with a wall-raising ceremony in Raleigh, North Carolina, where four homes are being constructed.
“As a leading manufacturer of building products, like siding, windows, stone, roofing, fence and rail, giving back by helping to build houses across North America makes sense for Ply Gem, and partnering with Habitat for Humanity was a natural choice,” said Gary E. Robinette, chairman and CEO, Ply Gem.
“Through the Home for Good project we are spreading the word to rally everyone to grab a hammer and help in communities nationwide. Ply Gem is reaching out to the building industry, our 8,900 associates and community members.”
Habitat launched its first Home Builders Blitz in 2006, four years after Habitat for Humanity Wake County, North Carolina and local builder Tom Gipson recruited 12 homebuilders to donate their time to each build a house in five days. To date, more than 1,500 homes have been constructed under the Home Builders Blitz model. Habitat and local families are building two homes in LaVergne.
To find out how to get involved, please visit Habitat.org, or to learn more about Ply Gem’s Home for Good project, go to www.plygem.com/homeforgood.
About Alan Jackson
Alan Jackson is one of the most successful and respected singer-songwriters in music. He is in the elite company of Paul McCartney and John Lennon among songwriters who’ve written more than 20 songs that they’ve recorded and taken to the top of the charts. Jackson is one of the best-selling artists since the inception of SoundScan, ranking alongside the likes of Eminem and Metallica. The man from rural Newnan, GA, who claims he is just a “singer of simple songs,” has sold nearly 60 million albums worldwide and ranks as one of the 10 best-selling vocalists of all-time in all genres. He has released more than 60 singles—registering 50 Top Ten hits and 35 #1s (including 26 Billboard #1s). He has earned more than 150 music industry awards—including 18 Academy of Country Music Awards, 16 Country Music Association Awards, a pair of Grammys and ASCAP’s Founders and Golden Note Awards. Jackson received the first-ever ASCAP Heritage Award in 2014 having earned the title of most performed country music songwriter-artist of ASCAP’s first 100 years. He is a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry.
About Ply Gem Holdings
Ply Gem (NYSE: PGEM), headquartered in Cary, N.C., is a leading manufacturer of exterior building products in North America. Ply Gem produces a comprehensive product line of windows and patio doors, vinyl and aluminum siding and accessories, designer accents, cellular PVC trim and mouldings, vinyl fencing and railing, stone veneer and gutterware, used in both new construction and home repair and remodeling in the United States and Canada. Visit www.plygem.com for more information.
About Habitat for Humanity International
Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity has grown from a grassroots effort that began on a community farm in southern Georgia in 1976 to a global nonprofit housing organization in nearly 1,400 communities across the U.S. and in over 70 countries. People partner with Habitat for Humanity to build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. Through financial support, volunteering or adding a voice to support affordable housing, everyone can help families achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. Through shelter, we empower. To learn more, visit habitat.org.
