Challenge to Country's Youth to Submit Essay, Artwork, Video about
Dr. King and How to Create a Better America
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and the Washington, DC Martin
Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. today
commemorated the 46th anniversary of the March on Washington
and launched the Kids for King Education Initiative during a live
event on the National Mall. Earlier this year, The Travelers Companies,
Inc. announced a $1.25 million donation to the Memorial
Foundation to support the building of the Memorial and to spearhead the
Memorial Foundation's Kids for King Education Initiative.
In addition to Secretary Duncan, the August 25th speaking line-up
included: Harry E. Johnson, Sr., President and CEO, Memorial Foundation;
Brian W. MacLean, President and COO, Travelers; Byron V. Garrett, CEO,
The National Parent Teacher Association (PTA); Dennis Van Roekel,
President, the National Education Association (NEA); and Kym Hampton,
WNBA Legend. Sam Ford, ABC 7 / WJLA-TV news journalist served as the
Master of Ceremonies.
"We must never forget the progress that Dr. King inspired in civil
rights and social justice, and we must recognize how much work is still
ahead of us," said Duncan. "With high school drop-out rates unacceptably
high and college completion rates far too low, education is clearly the
civil rights issue of this generation. Every child and adult deserves a
quality education. This is the only lasting way to fuel our economic
recovery and end stubborn cycles of poverty and social failure."
The March on Washington and Dr. King's "I Have A Dream" speech occurred
46 years ago this Friday - August 28, 1963.
As part of the 46th anniversary celebration, the Memorial
Foundation is pleased to announce the Kids for King initiative,
which will inspire youth from grades 3-12 to write an essay, create a
piece of art, or produce a short video about the lasting legacy of Dr.
King and his ideals of democracy, justice, hope, and love. The program
also contains a lesson plan for teachers and parents to educate the
youth about Dr. King. Three lesson plans have been developed, including
plans for 3-5 grades, 6-8 grades, and 9-12 grades. The PTA, the NEA, YRC
Worldwide, Inc., and The LEAGUE will also support the Kids for King
initiative.
The year-long program will culminate in Fall 2010, when nine students
will win a trip to Washington, D.C., to participate in a live press
event on the National Mall. Complimentary meals, travel, and hotel
accommodations will be provided for each student and a parent/chaperone.
Each Kids for King Education Initiative entrant will
receive a blue Build the Dream wristband. To learn more about the
program visit www.KidsForKing.org.
"Travelers is proud to sponsor the Kids for King Education
Initiative," said Brian W. MacLean, President and COO, Travelers.
"As a company, we are committed to investing in education and we believe
in the importance of teaching Dr. King's vision. Kids for King is
an excellent mechanism for both teachers and parents to educate today's
youth about Dr. King and his ideals."
In addition to collaborating with the Memorial Foundation on the
development of the Kids for King curriculum, Travelers will
encourage public schools in cities where the company has significant
operations to participate in the initiative. Travelers employees will
also serve on the judging panel that selects the national finalists.
In addition to fulfilling its $1 million pledge to financially support
the construction of the Memorial, the NEA will distribute the Kids
for King curriculum to its members through online curriculum
offerings, and during Black History month and beyond. The NEA will also
ask teachers to encourage their students to participate in the art,
essay, and video contest, and to use Kids for King in their
classrooms as a means of educating this generation on the legacy and the
promises of Dr. King.
The PTA will encourage schools to use the Kids for King curriculum and
engage students in learning about Dr. King through its web site, email
newsletters and other communication activities.
The LEAGUE will support Kids for King by providing resources
about the initiative in its King Day Service Project Toolkit which is
available to all LEAGUE Service Coaches nationwide. Kids for King
will further help LEAGUE Service Coaches raise their students' knowledge
and awareness of Dr. King; not only honoring his legacy but also
building social capital and empowering students to practice acts of
kindness and advocacy.
YRC Worldwide, Inc. a Fortune 500 company and one of the largest
transportation service providers in the world, will promote Kids for
King on 40 foot trailers that will be driven around the country.
"We challenge every teacher, parent, and youth leader to make Dr. King's
legacy relevant to this generation and to explain the importance of
building a lasting memorial to honor this legacy. I call on the youth of
America to express your ideas about Dr. King by sharing an essay, a
piece of art work, or a video about why Dr. King is important to you,"
said Harry Johnson, Sr., President and CEO, Memorial Foundation.
The Memorial Foundation has raised $106 million out of the needed $120
million to build the Memorial. 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, Boeing, Inc., 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, DC 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 2011. 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
Travelers is a leading provider of property casualty insurance for auto,
home and business. A Fortune 100 company, Travelers has 33,000 employees
and 2008 revenues of approximately $24 billion. Travelers stock is
traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: TRV)
and is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company
provides support for charitable organizations in the community through
the Travelers Foundation and with corporate funding and in-kind
services. The company's community giving is focused on education,
community development and the arts. Travelers employees are consistently
active in community initiatives and perform thousands of hours in
volunteer time each year. For more information, visit www.travelers.com.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6035613&lang=en
Source: The Travelers Companies, Inc.
Contact: Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation,
Inc.
Rica Orszag, 202-253-8974
rorszag@mlkmemorial.org
or
The Travelers Companies, Inc.
Erin Haberman, 860-277-3617
ehaberma@travelers.com