Press Release
National Trust, HGTV to Host Fourth Annual National Trust/HGTV Restore America Gala
Celebrities, Political, Business and Community Leaders to be Honored as Restore America Heroes
Washington, D.C. (June 13, 2006) – Five champions who have led efforts to preserve, restore and revitalize their communities will be honored tonight at the Fourth Annual National Trust/HGTV Restore America Gala at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C. The honorees include: American Express Company, Ambassador Victor Ashe, New Orleans community leader LaToya Cantrell, the Honorable Edward M. Kennedy and The Valspar Corporation.
Two-time Pulitzer Prize winning author David McCullough will be a special presenter and Juliet Huddy, co-host of FOX News Channel's DaySide, will emcee the event. Singer/songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter will perform. Attendees will be able to participate in a live auction conducted by Tim Luke – expert appraiser for HGTV’s hit show Cash in the Attic – where they can bid on items including trips to San Francisco, New York and Charleston with accommodations provided by the Historic Hotels of America®. These trips will include personalized tours to some of the National Trust’s most prestigious sites.
The Restore America Hero award honors public officials, private citizens and corporations whose energy, vision and leadership have had a significant impact on the preservation of our historic and cultural legacy—the buildings, collections, documents and works of art that tell America’s story. Some of the selected honorees have helped protect historic sites by devoting significant time and effort to advancing preservation-friendly legislation, while others have supported heritage programs that have raised public awareness of endangered places all over the world.
"Each of the Restore America Heroes has made significant contributions to the preservation of America’s communities and our shared history," said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "The National Trust is pleased to join HGTV in honoring their vision and leadership with this award.”"
Since 2003, HGTV's Restore America program has provided $4 million to fund 47 restoration projects around the country. HGTV has donated $1 million for the 2006-2007 campaign to fund community revitalization grants. More than 100 grant applications were received from nonprofit organizations and public agencies across the country to complete residential projects. The 11 projects selected range from single-family homes adapted from a row of dilapidated structures built at the turn of the 20th century in Cleveland, Ohio, to the rebuilding of homes in the Holy Cross District of New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward that collapsed during Hurricane Katrina. The recipients have been awarded grants ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 for the community revitalization projects, which can be viewed at http://www.nationaltrust.org/news/2006/20060423_hgtv.html.
In addition to providing funds to support the community projects, HGTV is producing public service announcements for each site that will be featured on HGTV and HGTV.com beginning in October 2006. This will allow news about these projects and the message of preservation to reach more than 89 million U.S. households.
"We're proud to join the National Trust for Historic Preservation as we continue to contribute in a more tangible way to the preservation of America's past," said Judy Girard, president of HGTV. “By using the broad reach of our television network and Web site, HGTV and the National Trust have helped to raise the awareness level of preservation activities across the country."
Demonstrating bi-partisan support for preservation, honorary co-chairs for the Restore America Gala include Senate Majority Leader William H. Frist (R-TN), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL), Assistant Senate Democratic Leader Richard Durbin (D-IL), Preservation Caucus Co-Chair Brad Miller (D-NC) and Preservation Caucus Co-Chair Michael Turner (R-OH).
Co-chairs of the Restore America Gala include: Judy Girard, president of HGTV; Richard Moe, president of the National Trust; Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Kemper, chairman of the National Trust; Mrs. Jackie Clegg Dodd, spouse of Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT); Mrs. Jean Hastert, spouse of Rep. J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL); Mrs. Patricia Lott, spouse of Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS); and Mrs. Stephene Moore, spouse of Rep. Dennis Moore (D-KS). Dinner committee co-chairs are Mrs. Julia Daniels, National Trust Trustee, and Mrs. Elinor Farquhar, National Trust Trustee Emeritus.
Biographical information on this year's heroes:
American Express Company
Since its founding in 1850, American Express has conducted business according to values that over the years have become inextricably linked with the company's brand, products, services and - perhaps most notably - its people. Consistent with those core values is American Express' profile as a socially responsible company. Through its support of historic preservation, American Express seeks to preserve unique cultural assets so that they can be enjoyed by future generations. American Express philanthropy also supports arts and cultural institutions and initiatives that encourage economic independence and civic participation in communities.
A leader in the travel and payments industries, American Express has long been a supporter of historical preservation efforts around the world. It is a founding sponsor of the World Monuments Watch program of the World Monuments Fund, a New York-based, global organization dedicated to preserving the world's cultural and architectural heritage. American Express has supported a wide array of National Trust preservation activities including the Save America's Treasures and Heritage Tourism programs. In the wake of last year's hurricane season, American Express funded a joint project of the World Monuments Fund and the National Trust to assist in saving the historic and cultural characteristics of the Gulf Coast and New Orleans.
Ambassador Victor Ashe
Victor Ashe, the current United States ambassador to Poland, is the longest serving mayor in the history of Knoxville, Tenn. While mayor of Knoxville from 1988-2003, he made historic preservation one of the guiding principles of his administration.
While mayor, Ashe took the cause of historic preservation to the people and spearheaded the effort to pass a city charter referendum requiring an annual report of the state of historic preservation in Knoxville. This was one of the first attempts in the nation to codify historic preservation in any city’s governing charter.
As president of the United States Conference of Mayors, Ashe used his platform to advocate on a national basis for some of the best practices for historic preservation to community leaders across America.
Another outstanding example of his historic preservation efforts was saving the Miller’s Department Store in Knoxville from the wrecking ball and appropriating funds to purchase the building and restore its full architectural detail. The restoration of the Miller’s building is considered to be the turning point in the successful revitalization of downtown Knoxville.
LaToya Cantrell
When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans last year, LaToya Cantrell didn’t give up. As president of the Broadmoor Improvement Association, the neighborhood organization for one of the most badly flooded National Register Historic Districts in New Orleans, Mrs. Cantrell rallied determination and enthusiasm for restoring the neighborhood to its former glory.
Yard signs proclaiming “Broadmoor Lives!” appeared throughout the district and assistance was procured from several Harvard University schools working together with residents to develop their neighborhood plan and secure resources. Her organization organized the first annual Broadmoor Fest, which was attended by 400 residents, many of whom cannot yet return to their flooded homes.
Of 2,700 houses in Broadmoor, 1,500 are now occupied or under restoration. As an advocate for Broadmoor citizens and historic preservation, she has galvanized a true grassroots movement. The Broadmoor Improvement Association has designed a community engagement process that is being recognized as the model for neighborhood revitalization throughout the city of New Orleans.
Under her leadership, the historic neighborhood of Broadmoor is indeed coming back in the post-Katrina world with its architectural integrity and human spirit remaining strong.
Senator Edward M. Kennedy
Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) has a longstanding interest in and commitment to the preservation movement. He has been an effective advocate for restoration efforts at Longfellow House, the Adams Historic site, the USS Constitution as well as the historic Gloucester schooner, “The Adventure,” which itself is the cornerstone of the Essex National Heritage Area which earned that designation from the Park Service with the critical support of Senator Kennedy.
He has been instrumental in securing federal support for important cultural sites across the state including the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Mass MOCA, historic Colonial Theater and the Edith Wharton home.
He has worked tirelessly on behalf of the Cape Cod National Seashore and Walden Woods -- making sure that fragile parts of our environment are protected. He has led efforts to preserve historic lighthouses in Massachusetts, including Highland Lighthouse, Great Point Lighthouse, Sankaty Lighthouse in Nantucket and Thatcher Island Lighthouse in Gloucester.
Senator Kennedy has represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate for 43 years. He was elected in 1962 to finish the final two years of the Senate term of his brother, Senator John F. Kennedy, who was elected President in 1960. Since then, Kennedy has been re-elected to seven full terms and is now the second most senior member of the Senate.
The Valspar Corporation
The Valspar Corporation is one of the largest coatings manufacturers in the world, providing coatings and coating intermediates to a wide variety of customers. Since 1806, Valspar has been dedicated to bringing customers the latest innovations, the finest quality and the best customer service in the coatings industry. The Valspar Corporation has demonstrated commitment and dedication to preservation through its creation of authentic, historic-based paint colors using the National Trust brand and logo, and promoting colors that have been derived from National Trust sites and hotels that are members of Historic Hotels of America. Their meticulous research to replicate historic paint colors have brought truly authentic colors to the consumer market, and they have helped to drive the success of the National Trust licensing program. The royalties that the National Trust has earned through this partnership have helped to support Trust programs and activities in the field, and the thousands of gallons of paint they have donated to historic preservation projects across the country have assisted in efforts to preserve historic and cultural sites in America.
For more information about the HGTV’s Restore America initiative, please visit http://www.nationaltrust.org/restore_america/index.html
For ticket information, the public should contact Pat Kramer, 202-588-6310 or pat_kramer@nthp.org.
Members of the media interested in attending can call Carrie Johnson, 202-588-6177, or e-mail pr@nthp.org. Media entry is free.
For more information about the 2006 National Trust/HGTV Restore America
Gala, visit http://www.nationaltrust.org/restore_america/2006_gala.html