St. Jacobs, ON (November 15, 2011) - Home Hardware Stores Limited announced it is giving $50,000 to KidsAbility to establish the Home Hardware Stores Limited Endowment Fund. KidsAbility is a provider of rehabilitation services for children from Waterloo Region and Guelph Wellington from birth to 18 years of age, and these funds will provide annual income in perpetuity to help children in our community with special needs.

Home Hardware's President and Chief Executive Officer, Paul Straus presented the first cheque for $25,000 to 10-year-old Graydon Large, a KidsAbility Kitchener-Waterloo Ambassador who was born with congenital Muscular Dystrophy.

Graydon's parents, Deirdre and Peter, brought him to KidsAbility when he was 18 months old. Over the years, Graydon has benefited from physiotherapy, speech and occupational therapy helping him to become as independent as possible. After years of therapy Graydon, who turned 10 in March, recently donated his wheelchair to KidsAbility because he no longer requires it.

"KidsAbility has not only provided Graydon with all of the services and resources he has needed but it has also helped me, as a mother, learn how to give him the best quality of daily life that he deserves," said Deirdre Large.

"The generous support we are receiving from Home Hardware Stores Limited will ensure that other children like Graydon have a bright future ahead of them," added Douglas Letson, Chair of KidsAbility Foundation.

Home Hardware will present a second installment of $25,000 to KidsAbility in November of 2012 to help the organization treat children with a wide range of special needs including; developmental disabilities and delays related to premature birth, medical syndromes such as Down syndrome, coordination disorders, and autism; physical disabilities such as muscular dystrophy, spina bifida and cerebral palsy; and communication difficulties in language, articulation, fluency and voice.

"With more than 1,350 Home Hardware Staff working and living in Waterloo Region, we are committed to giving back to the community that has supported us for almost fifty years," said Paul Straus, President and CEO, Home Hardware Stores Limited. "KidsAbility is doing wonderful and much needed work in our community and we know these funds will help them continue to change the lives of many children."

About Home Hardware Stores Limited

100% Canadian owned and operated, Home Hardware Stores Limited has a presence in every Canadian province and territory and is the country's largest independent, Dealer-owned hardware, lumber, building materials and furniture cooperative. Founded on January 1, 1964 by 122 independent hardware Dealers, the cooperative now includes more than 1,080 stores, under the Home Hardware, Home Building Centre, Home Hardware Building Centre and Home Furniture banners, with annual collective retail sales of more than $5 billion. Home Hardware's independent Dealer-Owners, recognized by the North American Retail Hardware Association as Canada's best-trained Dealer group, have access to 100,000 quality brand name and private label products, a world-class distribution system and draw upon the power of Home Hardware's network to provide their local communities with top quality products and services at competitive prices.

About KidsAbility
KidsAbility Centre for Child Development is the recognized leader in Waterloo Region and Wellington County for empowering children and youth with a wide range of complex special needs. Over 4,400 children and youth annually receive services and supports at KidsAbility at so that they can reach their full potential. This includes children who cannot walk or talk properly; premature and "at risk" babies; preschoolers who need support and therapy to be successful in school; and children with complex medical syndromes who require therapy and medical support. For more information please visit www.kidsability.ca.

Picture (left to right): Graydon Large, KidsAbility Kitchener-Waterloo Ambassador; Deirdre Large, mother of Graydon; Douglas Letson, Chairman of KidsAbility Foundation; and Paul Straus, President and CEO, Home Hardware Stores Limited.

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For more information, please contact:
Lindsey Dietrich, Home Hardware Stores Limited at 519-664-2252 ext. 6676 or lindsey.dietrich@homehardware.ca.
Rob Wallace, Home Hardware Stores Limited at 519-664-4710 or rob.wallace@homehardware.ca.
Lisa Talbot, Executive Director, KidsAbility Foundation at 519-886-8886 ext. 1201 or ltalbot@kidsability.ca.