National Park Foundation Celebrates First Family’s Yosemite & Carlsbad Caverns Visits During National Park Service Centennial
WASHINGTON – Will Shafroth, president of the National Park Foundation, the official nonprofit partner to the National Park Service, issued the following statement regarding the first family’s visit to Carlsbad Caverns National Park and Yosemite National Park:
"We are excited President Obama and his family are visiting our national parks during this special centennial moment. It reinforces the value President Obama sees in our beloved National Park System and his commitment to inspiring people from all backgrounds to discover how these treasured places can offer unique experiences for us all, especially our youngest citizens.
That's why we have been proud to help support and lead the President's Every Kid In A Park initiative by making it possible for more than 110,000 fourth graders living in nine of the twenty Every Kid in A Park focus cities (Baltimore, Cleveland, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, St. Louis, San Juan, and Seattle) to explore national parks and public lands this coming school year. And thanks to the Centennial Challenge program, the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation are able to invest $1.4 million in transportation grants for kids across the country to visit parks, public lands and waters, focusing on schools that have the most need.
As the national charitable partner to America’s national parks, the National Park Foundation is dedicated to protecting America's treasured places, connecting all people to them, and inspiring our next generation of park stewards. We applaud the first family's visit and encourage all Americans to #FindYourPark during this special centennial summer in our national parks."
ABOUT THE FOUNDATION
The National Park Foundation is the official charity of America’s national parks and nonprofit partner to the National Park Service. Chartered by Congress in 1967, the National Park Foundation raises private funds to help PROTECT more than 84 million acres of national parks through critical conservation and preservation efforts, CONNECT all Americans with their incomparable natural landscapes, vibrant culture and rich history, and INSPIRE the next generation of park stewards. In 2016, commemorating the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary, the Foundation launched The Centennial Campaign for America’s National Parks, a $350 million comprehensive fundraising campaign to strengthen and enhance the future of these national treasures for the next hundred years. Find out more and become a part of the national park community at www.nationalparks.org.