CHICAGO (PRWEB) September 27, 2017 -- The World War One Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum & Library, in partnership with The American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, today announced the first 50 memorials officially designated as WWI Centennial Memorials. The memorials are in 28 different states and each will receive a $2,000 matching grant funds towards the restoration and maintenance of these memorials through 100 Cities/100 Memorials.
The 100 Cities/100 Memorials was created to help draw attention to WWI memorials across the United States and enables all of America to take part in the WWI Centennial Commemoration. Many of these World War I war memorials have deteriorated due to exposure to the elements, neglect and even vandalism and all require maintenance. Two-hundred thousand dollars in matching funds have been allocated by the World War One Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum & Library, with additional support from The American Legion and Veterans of Foreign War, to restore these memorials back to their physical beauty and to help actively raise public awareness of those who served and of the effect this global conflict still has on today’s society. These community treasures are a tangible connection to the profound impact this war had on local towns and cities, securing an important place in military history.
“More than 4 million American families sent their sons and daughters to serve in uniform during World War I, 116,516 U.S. soldiers died in the war and another 200,000 were wounded,” said Terry Hamby, commissioner of the United States World War One Centennial Commission. “100 Cities/100 Memorials is a critically important initiative that will have an impact beyond these grants. These memorials represent an important part of remembering our past and preserving our culture.”
A second round of submission period will be open from September 27, 2017 through January 15, 2018 at http://bit.ly/2iqqDR6. Valid applications not selected during the first round of awards will be rolled over to the second phase for consideration. 100 Cites/100 Memorials plans to announce the remaining 50 WWI Centennial Memorials on April 6, 2018, the anniversary of the U.S. entry to WWI. All 100 recipients will receive a matching grant of $2,000 for memorial restorations and be officially designated by the United States World War One Centennial Commission as a WWI Centennial Memorial. Memorials must be completed by Veterans Day, November 11, 2018, the one-hundred-year anniversary of the day that WWI fighting ceased, leading to the end of the war.
“By designating 100 WWI memorials across the nation, we believe the breadth and scope of this initiative will have a ripple effect beyond these 100 centennial memorials,” said Kenneth Clarke, president and CEO of the Pritzker Military Museum and Library and founding partner of the Centennial Commission. “By restoring these monuments and memorials —whether it is a simple project like landscaping, cleaning, or making significant repairs—as a nation, we honor the names of those who served and the history of the communities where they lived.”
The first 50 projects due to receive the WWI Centennial Memorial designation and funding include:
Name of Memorial: 'The Survivor' WWI War Monument Beaverton, Michigan 48612
Organization Team: WWI Monument Restoration Team, Beaverton, Michigan
City: Beaverton
State: MI
Name of Memorial: "Over the Top to Victory" Doughboy Statue (Missoula County, MT)
Organization Team: Missoula County
City: Missoula
State: MT
Name of Memorial: "Spiritualized Life" sculpture located in Memorial Park, Jacksonville, Florida
Organization Team: Memorial Park Association, Inc.
City: Jacksonville
State: FL
Name of Memorial: Baldwin (NY) WWI Memorial
Organization Team: American Legion Post # 246 and Community
City: Baldwin
State: NY
Name of Memorial: Berkeley, California World War I Commemorative Plaque (circa 1923)
Organization Team: Berkeley Historical Plaque Project
City: Berkeley
State: CA
Name of Memorial: Brown County Texas WWI Memorial
Organization Team: Central Texas Veterans Memorial, Inc.
City: Brownwood
State: Texas
Name of Memorial: Burlington City Sons of the American Legion Rock of the Marne
Organization Team: BC Rocks of the Marne
City: Burlington
State: NJ
Name of Memorial: Cape May Soldier and Sailors Monument
Organization Team: Greater Cape May Historical Society
City: Cape May City
State: NJ
Name of Memorial: Carmel-by-the-Sea World War I Memorial Arch
Organization Team: American Legion Post 512
City: Carmel-by-the-Sea
State: CA
Name of Memorial: Chinese Americans Veterans Memorial
Organization Team: VFW Post 4618 and American Legion, Cathay Post #384 & SF Recreation and Parks Department
City: San Francisco
State: CA
Name of Memorial: Doughboy Statue
Organization Team: Morton Grove Historical Society
City: Morton Grove
State: IL
Name of Memorial: Dover Patrol War Memorial - City of New York
Organization Team: City of New York, NYC Parks, Art & Antiquities
City: Brooklyn
State: NY
Name of Memorial: Fort George G. Meade WWI Memorial
Organization Team: Descendants and Friends of the 314th Infantry A.E.F.
City: Ft. Meade
State: MD
Name of Memorial: Gold Star Memorial at Guthrie Park, Riverside, IL
Organization Team: American Legion Post 488 and Village of Riverside
City: Riverside
State: IL
Name of Memorial: Gosman Statue
Organization Team: American Legion Post #20
City: Dillon
State: MT
Name of Memorial: Harvard World War I Monument
Organization Team: War Monument Restoration Committee, Town of Harvard, MA
City: Harvard
State: MA
Name of Memorial: Highbridge War Memorial Doughboy Plaque Replication
Organization Team: City of New York, NYC Parks, Art & Antiquities
City: Bronx
State: NY
Name of Memorial: Hudson World War One Memorial
Organization Team: Peninsula Architects
City: Hudson
State: OH
Name of Memorial: Jacob Cousins Memorial Renovation Project
Organization Team: Friends of the Eastern Promenade
City: Portland
State: ME
Name of Memorial: Jenkintown Borough WW1 Monument
Organization Team: Jenkintown War Monument Restoration Committee
City: Jenkintown
State: PA
Name of Memorial: John Burke Memorial Park-Polk County Gold Star Monument
Organization Team: Iowa World War I Centennial Committee
City: Des Moines
State: IA
Name of Memorial: Memorial Belltower
Organization Team: Rear Admiral Ralph E. Suggs, U.S. Navy (Ret.) NCSU, Douglas G. Morton, U.S. Navy (Ret.) NCSU
City: Raleigh
State: NC
Name of Memorial: Memorial Grove at Green Hill Park
Organization Team: Green Hill Park Coalition Inc. and The City of Worcester, Massachusetts
City: Worcester
State: MA
Name of Memorial: Memorial Park
Organization Team: Stewards of Memorial Park
City: Mobile
State: AL
Name of Memorial: Memorial Tablet at Victory Memorial Grove
Organization Team: Los Angeles – Eschscholtzia Daughters of the American Revolution Chapter of Southern California
City: Los Angeles
State: CA
Name of Memorial: Miantonomi Memorial Park Tower
Organization Team: Miantonomi Memorial Park Commission; City of Newport, RI; American Legion Newport Post 7; Newport Open Space Partnership
City: Newport
State: RI
Name of Memorial: Muskogee Doughboy
Organization Team: Reverend John Robinson Chapter, NSDAR, Muskogee Doughboy Restoration Project
City: Muskogee
State: OK
Name of Memorial: Ninth Ward Victory Arch
Organization Team: Monumental Task Committee, Inc.
City: New Orleans
State: LA
Name of Memorial: Pierson World War l Monument
Organization Team: Harrison F. Pedersen Post 291, The American Legion
City: Pierson
State: IA
Name of Memorial: Rutherford World War l Memorial
Organization Team: Borough of Rutherford
City: Rutherford
State: NJ
Name of Memorial: Sgt. Alvin C. York Gravesite
Organization Team: Sgt. York Patriotic Foundation and Jamestown Rotary Club
City: Pall Mall
State: TN
Name of Memorial: Soldiers and Sailors Memorial
Organization Team: Friends of Wilmington Parks, Inc.
City: Wilmington
State: DE
Name of Memorial: Soldiers Memorial Military Museum
Organization Team: Missouri Historical Society
City: St. Louis
State: MO
Name of Memorial: Spirit of the American Doughboy
Organization Team: Sculpture Valley
City: Appleton
State: WI
Name of Memorial: The Spirit of the American Doughboy
Organization Team: Village of Swanton
City: Swanton
State: OH
Name of Memorial: The World War Memorial
Organization Team: VFW, Pacific Post 968
City: Raymond
State: WA
Name of Memorial: Trafford World War l
Organization Team: Trafford Veterans Memorial Renovation Committee
City: Trafford
State: PA
Name of Memorial: USS Tampa Memorial Window
Organization Team: USS Tampa 100 Committee
City: Tampa
State: FL
Name of Memorial: Veterans of World War l of the U.S.A Monument
Organization Team: Arizona Statewide World War l Memorials and Monuments Restoration Team
City: Phoenix
State: AZ
Name of Memorial: Victory Eagle WWl Memorial
Organization Team: KU Endowment Association
City: Lawrence
State: KS
Name of Memorial: Victory Memorial
Organization Team: Friends of the 370th INF Regiment
City: Chicago
State: IL
Name of Memorial: Village of Glen Carbon WWl Seaton/Trenatz Doughboy Statue
Organization Team: Glen Carbon Historical Museum Commission
City: Glen Carbon
State: IL
Name of Memorial: War Memorial Natatorium
Organization Team: Hawaii WWl Centennial Commemoration Task Force
City: Honolulu
State: HI
Name of Memorial: Wheaton Illinois WWl Obelisk
Organization Team: Wheaton Park District
City: Wheaton
State: IL
Name of Memorial: Winnetka Cenotaph Memorial
Organization Team: New Trier Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4831
City: Winnetka
State: IL
Name of Memorial: Word War l Memorial
Organization Team: Village of Ridgewood
City: Ridgewood
State: NJ
Name of Memorial: World War l Doughboy Memorial
Organization Team: Althenthal-Joerns American Legion Post 158
City: Jackson
State: MO
Name of Memorial: World War l Memorial Fountain
Organization Team: West Tennessee Great War Project
City: Jackson
State: TN
Name of Memorial: World War l Monument
Organization Team: Borough of Danville
City: Danville
State: PA
Name of Memorial: WWl Dough Boy Monument
Organization Team: Weber County Historical Society and American Legion Post 9 Ogden Utah
City: Ogden
State: UT
For more information about the 100 Cities/100 Memorials, to view an official project timeline or to find out more about the application process, visit http://bit.ly/2iqqDR6. To learn more about the Pritzker Military Museum & Library, visit http://www.pritzkermilitary.org or @PritzkerMilitaryLibrary on Facebook. Information about the challenge can also be found on The American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars websites.
About the World War I Centennial Commission
The Commission was established by the World War I Centennial Commission Act, passed by the 112th Congress and signed by President Barack Obama on January 16, 2013, and is responsible for planning, developing and executing programs, projects, and activities to commemorate the centennial of World War I. The mission is to educate the country’s citizens about the causes, courses and consequences of the war; honor the heroism and sacrifice of those Americans who served, and commemorate the Great War through public programs and initiatives. To learn more about the Commission activities, visit ww1cc.org/tools.
To further the mission, the Commission is leading the effort to build the National World War I Memorial at Pershing Park in Washington, D.C. to honor the 4.7 million American Veterans who served. To learn more about the Memorial, visit ww1cc.org/memorial.
The Commission’s founding sponsor is the Pritzker Military Museum and Library (PMML) in Chicago, Illinois. The PMML is a nonpartisan research institution dedicated to enhancing public understanding of military history and the sacrifices made by America's veterans and service members. To learn more about PMML, visit http://www.pritzkermilitary.org. ;
About the Pritzker Military Museum & Library
Founded in 2003, the Pritzker Military Museum & Library, located in downtown Chicago, is a nonprofit center where citizens and soldiers come together to learn about military history and affairs. The Museum & Library features an extensive collection of books, programs, artifacts, and rotating exhibits covering many eras and branches of the military. Programs include a lending library, the archives, recorded TV shows, podcasts and oral histories, and museum exhibits. To learn more about the Pritzker Military Museum & Library, visit http://www.pritzkermilitary.org or @PritzkerMilitaryLibrary on Facebook.
About The American Legion
The nation’s largest wartime veterans organization, The American Legion was founded in 1919 on the four pillars of a strong national security, veterans care and rehabilitation, Americanism and youth programs. Legionnaires work for the betterment of their communities through nearly 14,000 posts across the nation. http://www.Legion.org.
About the Veterans of Foreign War (VFW)
The VFW is a nonprofit veterans service organization composed of eligible veterans and military service members from the active, Guard and Reserve forces. The VFW and its Auxiliaries are dedicated to veterans service, legislative advocacy, and military and community service programs.
Lauren Russ, Connect Communications, http://www.pritzkermilitary.org/events/special-events/100c100m-press-annoucement/, 7739727060, lauren@connectcomsinc.com
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