WHO WE HELP
- Home
- Who We Help
- Recent Grants Awarded
- NPF Honorary Chair Mrs. Laura Bush Celebrates Grant To Enhance Recreation And Engage Communities In Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Park
NPF Honorary Chair Mrs. Laura Bush Celebrates Grant To Enhance Recreation And Engage Communities In Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Park
Published on 06/23/2008
$50k Donation From the National Park Foundation through a national partnership with the Coca Cola company will help fund trail enhancements and engage communities in trail stewardship
WASHINGTON, DC – Under the shade of sugar maples and 400-year-old hemlocks, National Park Foundation Honorary Chair Mrs. Laura Bush joined National Park Foundation President and CEO, Vin Cipolla to celebrate a new $50,000 grant awarded to Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park to enhance park trails and engage the local community in a healthy and active lifestyle as well as trail stewardship. The grant was made through the Active Trails! Program funded with support from the Coca-Cola Foundation.
On a short hike on the way to the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park’s new Forest Center, slated to open on August 16, 2008 for the park’s 10th anniversary celebration, Mrs. Bush encountered young representatives from the Boy Scouts of America, the park’s Mountains and Rivers Forever program, the Student Conservation Association and the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps. The young volunteers were hard at work re-vegetating the trail with native ferns but stopped to share what they have been learning about trail enhancement and what they hope to accomplish with help from this new grant. One specific project slated is linking the Forest Center to a network of community trails through a new trail extension aptly named the Stewardship Trail.
"This morning, I got to see young people who are committed to the parks by working to improve the network of pathways and trails and carriage roads here at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller," Mrs. Bush said. "Students who are engaged in service-learning activities are more likely to do well in school and to have strong social skills. These students are also more likely to continue service and civic involvement as adults. And they're more likely to grow up with a love of time spent outdoors in America's national parks."
Funds for the program were contributed to by the Coca-Cola Company as part of their Proud Partner commitment to America’s National Parks. To date, six National Park Service areas have been chosen to benefit from the program –
- Appalachian National Scenic Trail
- Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
- Joshua Tree National Park
- Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park
- National Capital Parks-East
- National Parks of New York Harbor
$1 million in funding will come from the Coca-Cola Foundation. An additional $200,000 contributed by the Coca-Cola Company over two years will be applied directly to benefit trails in Yellowstone National Park.
“Last year the Coca-Cola Company and the National Park Foundation made a five-year commitment to work together to encourage citizens across the country to get outdoors and enjoy the wonderful system of trails—nearly 18,000 miles—in our national parks,” said Vin Cipolla, President and CEO of the National Park Foundation. “And today, on behalf of the National Park Foundation and the Coca Cola Company, I’m proud to announce the award of a $50,000 grant to Marsh Billings Rockefeller National Historical Park as part of that program. The funds will be used by the park to support and further encourage the community stewardship of the trails here in Woodstock.”
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park is named in honor of three families responsible for the recovery and careful steward¬ship of this land. George Perkins Marsh, the author of Man and Nature (1864), was a major influence on the formation of the modern environ¬mental movement. Frederick Billings and his family put Marsh’s philosophy into practice with a farsighted program of progressive farming and forestry. Frederick Billings’ granddaughter Mary and her husband Laurence S. Rockefeller inherited the property in the mid-twentieth cen¬tury, sustaining and enriching it through their own conservation projects. They donated the property to the National Park Service in 1992, and the park opened in 1998 with a legislative mandate to maintain and build upon the 140-year-old legacy of stewardship.
About the National Park Foundation The National Park Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization chartered by Congress in 1967 to continue a century-long tradition of private philanthropy ensuring funding to preserve and enhance the legacy of our National Parks. As the official non-profit partner of America’s National Parks, the National Park Foundation does not receive federal appropriations for their support. The National Park Foundation serves to strengthen the connection between the American people and their national parks by raising private funds, making strategic grants, creating innovative partnerships and increasing public awareness. Support of the National Park Foundation ensures that the evolving history and rich heritage of our Nation remains vital and relevant.
About the Coca-Cola Company The Coca-Cola Company is the world’s largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 450 sparkling and still brands. Along with Coca-Cola, recognized as the world’s most valuable brand, the Company’s portfolio includes 12 other billion-dollar brands, including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid and Georgia Coffee. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, juices and juice drinks and ready-to-drink teas and coffees. Through the world’s largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company’s beverages at a rate of 1.5 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that protect the environment, conserve resources and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate.
About National Park Service The National Park Service, created in 1916, cares for our nation’s most special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage.
Contact Information
Anne Marek, National Park Foundation
(202)354-6480, amarek@nationalparks.org
