After a tornado ripped through his hometown of Newnan, Georgia, this spring, Alan Jackson sprung into action. The ’90s country icon set up a massive fundraising concert to help the area recover, and now the final figures are in.
Along with concert co-stars Chris Young and Caylee Hammack, Jackson raised more than $2 million for tornado relief, and a big chunk of that came from an old friend.
Presenting over a half-million dollars during the June 26 Where I Come From: Tornado Benefit Featuring Alan Jackson, Cornerstone Building Brands continued a partnership that has connected them to Jackson for years. Jackson was the company’s first Home for Good Project ambassador, which helps build affordable housing with Habitat for Humanity, and Cornerstone recognized the need in Newnan.
More than 1,700 home were damaged when the EF-4 tornado tore through the area in March of 2021, but now, they will be rebuilt stronger and more resilient. Cornerstone donated building products valued at $500,000 to Habitat for Humanity’s nationwide Disaster Risk Reduction and Response program, as well as a $100,000 financial contribution to the Coweta Community Foundation.
“I appreciate Cornerstone Building Brands’ help to repair and rebuild my hometown after the tornado,” Jackson said. “There’s a lot of people that lost everything, and this’ll help ’em get a new start.”
Many Cornerstone employees live and work in the Newnan area, and the donation will help those families and more rebuild. Fortified products, “such as impact windows and performance siding, that are more resistant to natural disasters” were donated, and the money given to Coweta Community Foundation “will help drive a range of recovery efforts, including insurance deductible relief, temporary shelter and storage, rebuilding and restoration.”
“We’re excited to work with Alan Jackson, our first Home for Good project ambassador, to respond to the need to rebuild housing in his hometown of Newnan,” said James S. Metcalf, chairman and chief executive officer of Cornerstone Building Brands. “At Cornerstone Building Brands, our purpose is to positively contribute to the communities where we live, work and play. This community is an important part of Cornerstone Building Brands and our broader work toward affordable and resilient housing across the U.S.”