Travelers to Spearhead Kids Project with Support from National Parent
Teacher Association (PTA), National Education Association (NEA), and The
LEAGUE
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
The leadership of the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National
Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. announced today that U.S. Secretary of
Education Arne Duncan will speak at an August 25th event on the National
Mall on West Basin Drive near Independence Avenue. Beginning at 10:30
a.m., the live press conference will commemorate the46th
anniversary of the March on Washington and Dr. King's famous 'I Have a
Dream' speech. The Memorial Foundation will also launch its nationwide Kids
for King Education Initiative.
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 spearhead the Memorial Foundation's Kids for King
Education Initiative. The initiative 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. The program
details and incentives will be announced during the press conference.
The National Parent Teacher Association (PTA), the National Education
Association (NEA), YRC Worldwide, Inc., and The LEAGUE will also support
the "Kids for King" initiative. The year-long program will culminate in
the fall of 2010. To learn more about the program visit www.kidsforking.org.
"Travelers is proud to support the creation of the Martin Luther King,
Jr. National Memorial and Kids for King Education Initiative," said
Brian W. MacLean, President and Chief Operating Officer of Travelers.
"As a company we are committed to investing in education and we believe
in the importance of teaching Dr. King's legacy and message of equality
to students across the country and to visitors to our nation's capital."
In addition to Secretary Duncan, the August 25th speaking line-up will
include: Harry E. Johnson, Sr., President and CEO, Memorial Foundation;
Brian W. MacLean, President and COO, Travelers; Byron V. Garrett, CEO,
National PTA; and Dennis Van Roekel, President, NEA.
"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 Johnson.
The Memorial Foundation has raised $104 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, 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=6028434&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