(Brandon – January 23, 2009)  On January 30, Falkenburg Road Jail inmates will get a chance to give back to the community and be part of a special Super Bowl community revitalization project.

Inmates who participate in a horticulture program at the jail will be donating several plants they have grown and cultivated themselves, such as miniature agave, Chinese elms, rose bushes, and coleus plants.  Volunteers will install these plants in flowerbeds throughout a Historic Old West Tampa neighborhood as part of a large community revitalization project for the upcoming Super Bowl.

Allen Boatman who runs the horticulture program, an inmate vocational program offered at the jail, said, "This is an opportunity for them to be part of something special and meaningful in the community, even if from afar.  Some of them are from that neighborhood so the connection is very personal for them.”

On January 30, 1,500 volunteers from more than 50 corporations and organizations will bring about needed repairs to 20 homes in Historic Old West Tampa.  Repairs will range from exterior landscaping to the complete demolition and rebuild of a new home.  All repairs will be free to the homeowners.  Several NFL players, state and local officials will join Rebuilding Together and volunteers for this project.

These community improvements also include the beautification of the neighborhood.  A team of volunteers from All State Insurance will plant flower beds throughout the project zone which consists of Union, Chestnut, Spruce, Walnut and Pine Streets between and adjacent to Howard and Armenia Avenues.  Oak trees will also be planted in the parkways by a team from Tampa Fire and Rescue.

For more information about Kickoff to Rebuild or to interview persons mentioned in this press release, please contact Olga Gonzalez at 813-842-4306 or via email at ogonzalez@rttb.org.

REBUILDING TOGETHER TAMPA BAY
Rebuilding Together, the nation's leading non-profit organization preserving affordable homeownership, will celebrate the 14th Annual Kickoff to Rebuild, an NFL-sanctioned event for Super Bowl, on January 30, 2009.  This block party project will be a day of rehabilitation and renewal for local homeowners who do not have the means or ability to make the repairs themselves.

Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay is a nonprofit organization, which provides home repair services to low-income families, the elderly, military veterans and their families, and persons with disabilities in the Tampa Bay Area.  The focus of Rebuilding Together’s work is to make homes safer, healthier and more energy efficient for their owners.  Rebuilding Together provides an array of home rehabilitation services including emergency services, home repairs, home improvements, weatherproofing and barrier removal.  For more information, please visit Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay at www.rttb.org.