Ace/Henkel "Helpful" Scholarship Program

Ace Team's "Helpfulness" Shines when Natural Disaster Strikes In November 2005, the Ace Team lent hammers, hearts and helping hands to a local New Orleans-area family, making their wish come true. The team, in partnership with CBS's The Early Show and a contractor-based company called Rent-a-Husband, cleaned, renovated and repaired a family's home which suffered severe flood damage during the Hurricane Katrina disaster. The family, unable to complete the renovation work on their own, had one wish - to repair their home in the aftermath of the disaster. After a full week of patching, painting and renovating, the helpful folks at Ace granted the family's wish and transformed the home with more than $8,000 worth of Ace products. The family's story, in addition to the project work, was showcased during The Early Show's "Week of Wishes" program in November. The Ace project culminated the week's run of wishes, with the family makeover reveal airing Thanksgiving Day.

Ace's New Faces for Helpful Places Program In 2006, we have taken our New Faces for Helpful Places program to a higher level following our partnership with the hit television show, "The Apprentice." On the April 10 episode of "The Apprentice," Ace provided the resources and helpful advice to the two teams to renovate Boys and Girls Clubs in the Queens. The American public then had the opportunity to go on acehardware.com and nominate their local helpful place to receive a "new face" from Ace. From the more than 3,000 nominations that were received, 10 were selected based on the "helpfulness" of the nominated community place, as well as overall need. "The Apprentice" season one winner Bill Rancic and Ace's "Helpful Hardware Man" Lou Manfredini will lead the charge on the renovation task. Each winning place receives $5,000 in Ace products and $5,000 in additional resources, along with a day's worth of work to get the renovation completed.

Ace's "Fields for the Future" Program Children in communities across the country take the field every year to participate in the nation's beloved pastimes of baseball and softball. These young players take pride in the sport, and the fields they play on hold a special significance to the kids who use them. However, many times these local ballparks go for years without needed maintenance or repairs, as often the resources are simply not available. To continue Ace's helpful pledge to the communities and customers that Ace retailers serve, we've teamed up with Little League® Baseball to pitch in and fix up "in need" Little League fields through the Ace Hardware/Little League "Fields for the Future" Program. Five fields were selected (one for each of the following official Little League divisions: Central, East, South, Southwest and West). Winning locations received $2,500 worth of Ace product and a full day's work from Ace's "Helpful Hardware Man" Lou Manfredini and the "Lou Crew" to beautify and repair the fields. In addition, Ace donated an additional $2,500 worth of Ace Gift Cards to each of the winning leagues.

"OFFICIAL HARDWARE SUPPLIER" OF LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL Beginning in 2004, Ace Hardware is proud to become a national sponsor of Little League Baseball. As a sponsor, Ace will support Little League teams, organizations and participants throughout the year with special mailings, offers and materials as well as local activities conducted by many of our 4,900 community based stores. Since their beginnings in 1939, Little League Baseball has grown into a worldwide program that includes approximately 200,000 teams, 3 million participants and 1 million volunteers. Like Ace Hardware, Little League Baseball shares a strong history of community presence and family involvement. As we enter our 80th year of providing helpful service and advice to consumers nationwide, our Ace stores are looking forward to extending this same type of goodwill and involvement to Little League families and organizations across America. Learn more about Little League Baseball by visiting their website at www.littleleague.org.

Partnering together to help our communities

At Ace, we believe in giving back to the communities we serve. From busy and bustling cities to rustic and rural towns, we truly care about the communities in which we do business. This is why The Ace Hardware Foundation was established in 1991: to serve as an umbrella over the charitable fundraising efforts of Ace Hardware retailers, Ace Hardware Corporation and Ace vendor partners for the benefit of Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) and the American Red Cross.

Our Mission

The Ace Hardware Foundation is dedicated to improving people’s lives, be it through needed health care or disaster relief. Since, 1991, The Ace Hardware Foundation has helped to advance the health and well being of children by supporting the Children’s Miracle Network. In addition, Ace serves to improve the lives of individuals affected by disasters through the help of the American Red Cross and the American Red Cross General Fund.

Children's Miracle Network

Established in 1983, Children's Miracle Network (CMN) generates funds and awareness for more than 17 million sick and injured children, who are cared for each year by its 170 affiliated hospitals, regardless of their family’s ability to pay. Although the program is national in scope, 100 percent of the funds raised in each community stay local, being donated to the nearest CMN hospital in that area.

The money The Ace Hardware Foundation raises is funneled to CMN hospitals to help sick kids in a variety of ways – from purchasing new equipment and paying hospital bills to funding research that allows CMN doctors to remain on the cutting edge of medical advancements and technology. And, it is because of past generosity that Ace continues to rank in the top 10 of all CMN corporate sponsors.

American Red Cross ­ Natural Disaster Relief Fund

The purpose of the American Red Cross Natural Disaster Relief Fund is to provide relief to victims of natural disasters. Each year, thousands of people, in areas around the country, are affected by powerful disruptive disasters such as tornadoes, floods, fires, hurricanes and earthquakes. The Red Cross is synonymous with lending a much-needed helping hand in these difficult situations.

As a national company with members in more than 5,600 domestic locations, it’s no surprise that members of our own Ace family have experienced the often-devastating effects of a natural disaster. The Ace Hardware Foundation is proud to partner with the American Red Cross to support our neighbors in times of need.

Want to help?

If you are interested in contributing to the Ace Hardware Foundation or to one of its charities, please contact your local Ace retailer for details.