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Hornets to Swarm Elementary School

June 4, 2014 – The Charlotte Hornets will “Swarm to Serve” as the entire organization participates in an all-staff Day of Service on June 9 with partners FOX Sports Carolinas/SportSouth and Lowe’s in an effort to beautify and refurbish Hornets Nest Elementary School. This event marks the organization’s first community service initiative since the Hornets name returned to Charlotte.

The Day of Service will tip off at 9:15 a.m. with a special outdoor presentation on the grounds of Hornets Nest Elementary School (6700 Beatties Ford Rd, Charlotte) with Hornets Chairman Michael Jordan as well as representatives from FOX Sports Carolinas/SportSouth, Lowe’s and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. The day’s volunteer activities will run from approximately 9:45 a.m.-2:15 p.m.

In addition to volunteers from each organization working on various school refurbishment projects, the Hornets, FOX Sports Carolinas/SportSouth and Lowe’s will make a major donation to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public School Foundation. The donation is specifically earmarked for the Teacher Innovation Fund, a new fund launched by the Hornets that empowers teachers to successfully implement strategies to educate and prepare every child to graduate. Hornets, FOX Sports Carolinas/SportSouth and Lowe’s will also deliver Thank You kits to all 9,600 teachers at all 160 CMS schools. Transported by specially-branded Hornets vehicles, the kits will include a Hornets/CMS co-branded tumbler, a Hornets car decal, a Hornets lanyard, a FOX Sports Carolinas/SportSouth basketball keychain, a Lowe’s seed packet and a thank you book mark.       

“This is a great moment in our franchise’s history as we embark on a new chapter as the Charlotte Hornets and immediately entrench ourselves within our community with our Day of Service,” said Hornets President & COO Fred Whitfield. “We are thrilled to participate with our great partners from FOX Sports Carolinas/SportSouth and Lowe’s, two corporate citizens that truly care about this community and with whom we share a passion for education. Education remains one of the pillars of our community, and we are proud to establish the Teacher Innovation Fund to help lead the way in providing the proper resources for our teachers because they are vital in the growth and development of our youth.”

“We share the enthusiasm of the Hornets in wanting to salute the CMS school district,” remarked Jeff Genthner, GM/SVP of FOX Sports Carolinas/SportSouth.  “Our FOX Sports staff is on hand to participate in today’s activities in an effort to honor and serve the students and teachers of the community.”

During the day at Hornets Nest Elementary School, volunteers from each of the three organizations will participate in a variety of projects including refreshing outdoor common areas and playgrounds, weeding, painting, edging, mulching and planting, among other things. All of the materials, items and expertise for the various projects will be provided courtesy of Lowe’s.

The Hornets and Lowe’s will also unveil the new look of the Book Bus, a full-service literacy bus that travels throughout the Charlotte area year-round to encourage reading and distribute books to area youth. In its first year, the Book Bus performed more than 100 shows, delivered close to 4,000 books and drove over 2,000 miles visiting local schools.

“Education has always been a core focus area for Lowe’s philanthropic giving; and today, we’re continuing Lowe’s longstanding commitment to help improve schools and increase educational opportunities across the country,” said Mike Jones, Lowe’s Chief Customer Officer. “Working together, the Hornets and Lowe’s are meeting some critical needs here in Charlotte and opening up greater possibilities for our hometown students and teachers.” 

About the Charlotte Hornets

Hornets Sports & Entertainment is committed to helping the needs of the community in the areas of education, hunger and wellness. Hornets players, coaches and staff are actively engaged in the community, volunteering their time and efforts to serve these key areas.

About FOX Sports Carolinas/SportSouth

The FOX Sports regional networks serving the Southeast – FOX Sports South, FOX Sports Tennessee, FOX Sports Carolinas and SportSouth – collectively reach more than 13 million cable and satellite households in seven states across the Southeast.  They are the television home of the Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Dream, Atlanta Hawks, Carolina Hurricanes, Charlotte Hornets, Charlotte Hounds, Memphis Grizzlies, Nashville Predators, Cincinnati Reds, Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Pelicans, and St. Louis Cardinals, as well as the Atlantic Coast Conference, Conference USA, Southeastern Conference, and Big 12 Conference.  Combined, the four networks produce more than 800 live local events and televise more than 1400 live local events each year. For more information, please visit FOXSportsSouth.com, FOXSportsTennessee.com, and FOXSportsCarolinas.com. 

About Lowe’s in the Community

Lowe’s, a FORTUNE® 100 home improvement company, has a 50-year legacy of supporting the communities it serves through programs that focus on K-12 public education and community improvement projects.  Since 2007, Lowe’s and the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation together have contributed nearly $200 million to these efforts, and for more than two decades Lowe’s Heroes employee volunteers have donated their time to make our communities better places to live. To learn more, visit Lowes.com/SocialResponsibility and LowesInTheCommunity.tumblr.com