HGTV, DIY Network Donate $50,000 to Local Ohio & Detroit Rebuilding Efforts

As a result of HGTV and DIY Network's Raise A Roof College Challenge, more than $50,000 will be donated to local Rebuilding Together chapters in the towns of Columbus, Ohio and Detroit, Mich. The challenge, which spanned from Sept. 24 to Dec. 7, paired teams from two long-standing rival schools, The Ohio State University and University of Michigan, in a friendly competition with their fellow students to see which team from each college could raise the most funds for their local Rebuilding Together affiliate. After all donations were totaled, Team Diversity and Development from The Ohio State University and Team Shoelace from University of Michigan came out on top, collecting the most donations at their respective schools. Money raised by the teams, combined with HGTV and DIY Network's donation, total nearly $60,000 that will be used to support Rebuilding Together's vision of a safe and healthy home for every person.

The top fundraising teams mentioned above will represent their school in a one-hour HGTV special to compete for the "best makeover" of a Rebuilding Together home in their area. HGTV and DIY Network are also pleased to award each university's highest individual fundraiser a $10,000 scholarship to put towards tuition and/or paying off part of a student loan. At The Ohio State University, the lucky recipient is Eduardo C., a Guaynabo, Puerto Rico native and resident of Columbus, Ohio, and at University of Michigan, the scholarship will go to John K. of Shelby Township, Mich.

"We are immensely proud of all the students who participated in our Raise a Roof College Challenge," said Denise Conroy-Galley, senior vice president, marketing and creative services, HGTV and DIY Network. "Teams from both schools showed tremendous leadership by rallying their fellow students to volunteer or donate money in support of Rebuilding Together and we are excited to see the impact these much-needed funds will have on homes in need of repair in both communities."

Although the challenge has concluded, individuals may still make a donation to HGTV and DIY Network's "Raise A Roof" campaign by visiting HGTV.com/raisearoof. Fans may also interact with HGTV, DIY Network and Rebuilding Together by using the hash tag #raisearoof and the handles @HGTV, @DIYNetwork and @rebldgtogthr.

HGTV and DIY Network are Rebuilding Together's national television partners. Last year, the networks launched the "Raise a Roof" campaign to encourage viewers to Raise their Voices, Raise their Hand and Raise Support by signing up and volunteering in their local communities to support Rebuilding Together's mission of helping low-income homeowners.

America's leading home and lifestyle brand, HGTV features a top-rated cable network that is distributed to more than 98 million U.S. households and the HGTV website, HGTV.com, the nation's leading online home-and-garden destination that attracts an average of four million unique visitors per month. The brand also includes the HGTV HOME consumer products line which showcases exclusive collections of paint, flooring, lighting, furniture, plants and other home-oriented products, as well as HGTV Magazine, a new home and lifestyle publication published in partnership with Hearst Magazines. Headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn., HGTV is wholly owned by Scripps Networks Interactive Inc. which also operates Food Network, DIY Network, Cooking Channel, Travel Channel and Great American Country.

DIY Network, from the makers of HGTV and Food Network, is the go-to destination for rip-up, knock-out home improvement television. One of the fastest growing digital networks and currently in more than 57 million homes, DIY Network's programming covers a broad range of categories, including home improvement and landscaping. The network's award-winning website, DIYNetwork.com, is a leader in the Nielsen Online Home and Garden category and features multiple resources, including thousands of do-it-yourself home improvement projects, expert advice, how-to videos and images, and user-friendly reference guides with step-by-step instructions.