Lowes Donates $250,000 to UNCF's Emergency Student Aid Campaign to Help Students...

Lowes Donates $250,000 to UNCF's Emergency Student Aid Campaign to Help
Students Graduate

FAIRFAX, Va., Sept. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- UNCF - the United Negro
College Fund - the nation's largest and most effective minority education
organization, received $250,000 from Lowe's Charitable and Educational
Foundation (LCEF) to support UNCF's Emergency Student Aid Campaign, an
initiative to help thousands of recession-impacted students at UNCF's
39-member historically black colleges and universities enroll for their senior
year and receive their college degree.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080117/DC11749 )

"Lowe's contribution to UNCF's Emergency Student Aid Campaign is a lifeline to
students whose college education is threatened by the recession," said Michael
L. Lomax, Ph.D., UNCF president and CEO. "The Emergency Student Aid Campaign
is for the students. Thousands of students at UNCF member colleges have seen
family contributions reduced or eliminated due to job loss and pay cuts. The
credit crunch has squeezed private student loans off the market. Many of
these students wouldn't have been able to register this fall if Lowe's hadn't
stepped up."

While the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation grant will reach all 39
UNCF-member institutions, the grant will primarily focus on assisting students
at UNCF-member colleges in four states: North Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana and
Virginia. Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation worked with UNCF to
determine where it could provide the most impact to students who were in
danger of not graduating due to a financial gap.

"Lowe's commitment to improving communities begins by supporting organizations
that give students the resources to become tomorrow's employees, homeowners
and community leaders," said Larry Stone, chairman of Lowe's Charitable and
Educational Foundation. "By supporting organizations like UNCF, Lowe's is
contributing to a cause that is important to our customers and employees and
invests in helping students achieve their fullest potential by completing
their college degrees."

To make a donation to UNCF's Emergency Student Aid Campaign, visit
www.uncf.org and click on Emergency Student Aid or call 1-800-332-UNCF (8623)
to help keep kids in college.

Since its founding, UNCF has helped 350,000 students earn degrees from its 39
member colleges and universities. Today, 55,000 students attend UNCF member
institutions each year.

About UNCF
UNCF -- the United Negro College Fund -- is the nation's largest and most
effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and
the nation, UNCF supports students' education and development through
scholarships and other programs, strengthens its 39 member colleges and
universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education. UNCF
institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly
effective, awarding 18 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF
administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and
fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty
development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over
900 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF
torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized motto, "A mind is a
terrible thing to waste."(R) Learn more at www.UNCF.org

ABOUT LOWE'S
Lowe's is a proud supporter of Habitat for Humanity International, American
Red Cross, United Way of America, and the Home Safety Council, in addition to
numerous non-profit organizations and programs that help communities across
the country. In 2008, Lowe's and the Lowe's Charitable and Educational
Foundation together contributed more than $25 million to support community and
education projects in the United States and Canada. Lowe's also encourages
volunteerism through the Lowe's Heroes program, a company-wide employee
volunteer initiative. Lowe's is a FORTUNE(R) 50 company with fiscal year 2008
sales of $48.2 billion and has more than 1,675 stores in the United States and
Canada. For more information, visit Lowes.com/community.

SOURCE United Negro College Fund

Joye Griffin of the United Negro College Fund, +1-703-205-3480,
Joye.Griffin@uncf.org; or Katie Blixt Cody of Lowe's Companies, Inc.,
+1-704-758-4309, Katie.B.Cody@lowes.com