Company to Sponsor Kids for King Program
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 17, 2009--The leadership of the Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National
Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. announced today a $1.25 million
donation from The Travelers Companies, Inc. The company's gift will help
build the four-acre memorial on the National Mall and provide support
for Kids for King, an educational outreach program to schools throughout
the country that will culminate with the dedication of the memorial in
2010.
"I am pleased to welcome Travelers to the list of supporters to the
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial," says Harry E. Johnson,
Senior, President and CEO of the Memorial Foundation. "Now is the time
to make history, now is the time for other corporations and all
Americans to follow in the footsteps of Travelers, to play a role in
building a lasting memorial to Dr. King and the ideals of hope,
democracy, love and peace for which he stood."
"Travelers is proud to support the creation of the Martin Luther King,
Jr. National Memorial," says Jay Fishman, Travelers chairman and CEO.
"As a company we aspire to live up to Dr. King's vision and provide
equal access to opportunity to all employees. The memorial will provide
a permanent mechanism to educate visitors to our nation's capital on Dr.
King's legacy and the values that empowered his leadership. In addition,
this gift helps reflect our company's strategic focus on diversity and
extend our ongoing community investment in education."
Travelers joins the following major donors to the Memorial: General
Motors, Tommy Hilfiger Corporate Foundation, NBA/WNBA, Alpha Phi Alpha
Fraternity, Inc., W.K. Kellogg Foundation, The Walt Disney Company
Foundation, The Coca-Cola Foundation, The Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation, The Ford Motor Fund, Toyota, AARP, AFLAC, BP America, Inc.,
CIGNA, Credit Unions of the United States, DuPont, ExxonMobil
Foundation, Fannie Mae Corporation, FedEx Corporation, GE, Ann and Joel
Horowitz Family Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation,
Sheila C. Johnson-Newman, Lehman Brothers, George Lucas, MacFarlane
Partners, The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, McDonald's
Corporation, MetLife Foundation, National Association of Realtors (NAR),
National Education Association (NEA), Nationwide Foundation, PepsiCo
Foundation, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Pfizer Foundation, Prudential
Financial, Inc., Shell Oil Company, State Farm Insurance, Verizon
Foundation, Viacom, Wal-Mart and Morehouse College, among others.
About the Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial
Project Foundation, Inc.
A Memorial honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will be built on the
National Mall, situated adjacent to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Memorial and in a direct line between the Lincoln and Jefferson
Memorials. Congress passed Joint Resolutions in 1996 authorizing Alpha
Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. to establish a Memorial honoring Dr. King to
be built in Washington, D.C. The ceremonial groundbreaking took place on
November 13, 2006 and the Memorial will be completed in 2010. McKissack
& McKissack / Turner Construction Company/ Gilford Corporation /
Tompkins Builders, Inc. Joint Venture will serve as the Design-Build
Team. McKissack & McKissack is the oldest minority-owned architectural
firm in the United States. For more information or to make a donation,
please visit www.buildthedream.org.
About Travelers
The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRV)
is a leading property casualty insurer selling primarily through
independent agents and brokers. Travelers understands that life and
business are inherently dynamic and that the best way to serve customers
is to deliver insurance in-synch with evolving risks. The company's
diverse business lines offer its global customers a wide range of
coverage in the auto,
home
and business
settings. Travelers is a Fortune 100 company, with 2007 revenues of
approximately $26 billion. The company has more than 33,000 employees.
For more information on being in-synch, visit www.travelers.com.
CONTACT: Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial
Project Foundation, Inc.
Washington, DC
Rica Orszag, 202-253 8974
rorszag@mlkmemorial.org
or
Travelers
Erin Haberman, 860-277-3617
ehaberman@travelers.com
Source: The Travelers Companies, Inc.