President Trump’s Donation to National Park Service Highlights Need to Support Historic Battlefields
WASHINGTON – This week, President Donald J. Trump donated his first quarter salary to the National Park Service to invest in America’s historic battlefields.
“President Trump’s donation to the National Park Service highlights the need to protect our historic battlefields and other National Park Service sites that share America’s military history and honor those who serve,” said Will Shafroth, president of the National Park Foundation. “The National Park Foundation is proud to provide all Americans with a way to support these sites and help ensure that their stories and sacred grounds are preserved for generations to come.”
As part of the National Park Foundation’s Centennial Campaign for America’s National Parks, the public can donate at www.nationalparks.org/remembrance to help protect national battlefields and other National Park Service sites that commemorate America’s military history.
In its role as the official charitable partner of the National Park Service, the National Park Foundation has a long history of enriching the National Park System through private philanthropy. Celebrating 50 years in 2017, the organization’s support encompasses National Park Service sites of remembrance, including national battlefields, national battlefield parks, national military parks and national battlefield sites.
“The National Park Foundation helps to raise awareness to support the National Park System and champion private contributions that give NPS a margin of excellence in our work,” said Acting National Park Service Director Michael T. Reynolds. “We are grateful for our dynamic partnership with the National Park Foundation and the support it gives our national parks and hallowed grounds.”
Last year, the National Park Foundation provided funding through a Centennial Challenge grant to make a trail more accessible at Antietam National Battlefield in Maryland, making it possible for people with disabilities to have access to the park and its history.
Currently, the National Park Foundation is working in partnership with the Gettysburg Foundation to raise the necessary funds to restore Little Round Top at Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania. One of the most highly visited and used areas of the park, Little Round Top is the location of one of the most well-known actions in the Civil War.
To support battlefields and other National Park Service sites of remembrance, please visit www.nationalparks.org/remembrance.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK 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 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.