Town of Benson to Host North Carolina’s First ABILITY House
Honorary Project Chairman U.S. Congressman Bob Etheridge Joins Johnston County Habitat for Humanity in Announcing the Groundbreaking for Home to be Built by Volunteers with Disabilities

Benson, NC: May 30, 2006—On June 2nd executives from sponsoring companies Genworth Financial, Inc. and Wells Fargo Home Mortgage will join U.S. Congressman Bob Etheridge’s family, Benson city officials and representatives from the nonprofits Johnston County Habitat for Humanity and ABILITY Awareness in breaking ground with future ABILITY House homeowner Selma Smith. ABILITY Houses are homes built in partnership between Habitat for Humanity and ABILITY Awareness for a low-income family where one or more members have a disability. The unique aspect of an ABILITY House is the utilization of volunteers with health conditions or disabilities during all phases of construction, emphasizing their skills, talents and potential.

The Benson ABILITY House is being built for Selma Smith, who has quadraplegia, and her caretaker. The home will feature universal design and accessibility features, with recommendations from North Carolina State University’s Center for Universal Design. To increase Ms. Smith’s ability to move freely around her home and improve her quality of life, Johnston County Habitat will build in features such as a no-step entrance, wider hallways and doorways, and a roll-in shower. Throughout the build, volunteers with health conditions or disabilities ranging from blindness to paraplegia will work alongside other dedicated Habitat volunteers and will be joined by Congressman Etheridge and employees of Genworth Financial and Wells Fargo Home Mortgage who are also volunteering their time to help build the Smith home.

Date: Friday, June 2, 2006
Time: 9:00am
Address: 605 South Ryals Street, Benson, NC 27504

About ABILITY Awareness
ABILITY Awareness is a nonprofit organization building a world of inclusion for people with health conditions and disabilities through housing, employment, education, media and volunteer opportunities. The ABILITY House program was established to offer accessible, affordable housing for low-income families where one or more members have a disability. The project utilizes volunteers with disabilities during all phases of construction and showcases an array of dedicated, talented and hardworking individuals. The ABILITY House project demonstrates the potential of every person and empowers communities with a new level of awareness. For more information on the ABILITY House project or other programs of ABILITY Awareness

About Congressman Etheridge
Congressman Bob Etheridge represents North Carolina's Second Congressional district, where he has lived nearly his entire life. First sworn in to Congress in 1997, he currently serves on the House Agriculture and Homeland Security committees and is the Chairman of the Democratic Caucus' Education Task Force and the Co-Chair of the Democratic Rural Working Group.

About Genworth Financial
Genworth is a leading insurance holding company, serving the lifestyle protection, retirement income, investment and mortgage insurance needs of more than 15 million customers, and has operations in 24 countries, including the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and 17 other European countries. For more information, visit http://www.genworth.com
About Johnston County Habitat for Humanity
Johnston County Habitat for Humanity is an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry that seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world, and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. Johnston County Habitat for Humanity promotes home ownership through the work of volunteers, who build houses in partnership with Johnston County residents in need of adequate housing. For more information or to register on-line to volunteer, visit www.johnstoncountyhfh.org

About Wells Fargo Home Housing Foundation
The Wells Fargo Housing Foundation was created to provide permanent solutions to homeownership needs in Wells Fargo communities nationwide. Through the volunteerism of Wells Fargo team members, more than 1,900 homes have been built or renovated through the Housing Foundation since its inception in 1993. The Housing Foundation is funded by Wells Fargo Home Mortgage.

About Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Celebrating its centennial year, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage is the nation's No. 1 retail mortgage lender and a leading servicer of home mortgages. As a division of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., it has a local presence in more than 2,400 mortgage stores and bank branches, plus the capabilities to serve the home financing needs of customers nationwide through its call centers, Internet presence and wholesale lending operations. Wells Fargo Home Mortgage services loans for 5.7 million customers in all 50 states and is headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa.