American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation Select Chicago Metro Area as Second Region for Partners in Preservation Program

Yesterday, GoodBiz113 ad partner American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced that the Chicagoland metro area was chosen as the next region for the community-based Partners in Preservation initiative.

Following on the heels of the inaugural San Francisco Bay Area Initiative, the Chicago metro area will be the second region to receive $1 million in funding from American Express under the initiative. The Chicago community will be invited to participate in the program by voting for their favorite landmark to ultimately choose the winning historic site from a list of contenders.

Launched in 2006, the Partners in Preservation program is a historic initiative in which American Express, in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, pledged $5 million over a five-year period toward preserving historic sites in the United States.

In September 2006, American Express allocated $1 million in preservation grants to thirteen sites in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 2006 Bay Area grant recipients continue to make progress in achieving their preservation goals. Some sites have already broken ground, while others are finalizing their planning to ensure successful project completion in 2008.

The Partners in Preservation initiative is designed to benefit local historical sites and involves community participation in a fun and engaging online model to choose the winning historic site.

"American Express created the Partners in Preservation program to underscore the importance of preservation -- not only of buildings but of culture and history -- and to promote travel and tourism around the country," said Tim McClimon, president and CEO of the American Express Foundation. "We are happy to announce that Chicagoland will be the second region to benefit from our online philanthropic program, and are confident that Chicagoans will embrace the program as passionately and sincerely as the Bay Area community did."

"Chicago has always prided itself -- and rightly so -- on its rich history, innovative buildings and landscapes," said David Brown, executive vice president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "It is a perfect place for our Partners in Preservation initiative. Every phase of the city's past is reflected in the historic places that enrich and enliven its neighborhoods. These are the places that Chicagoans love, and we're delighted to work with American Express and the Chicago community to identify and restore the best of them."

The Chicagoland program will be similar to the San Francisco Bay Area effort. American Express, in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, will identify historic sites throughout the metro area that reflect the region's rich and diverse cultural heritage to be candidates for preservation grants.

In September, the Partners in Preservation team will reveal the site candidates and the public will be invited to vote online for the landmarks they would like to see win and receive funding for preservation. American Express will also announce the members of a special Advisory Committee comprised of Chicago area dignitaries to help guide American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation in selecting the winning sites. Further details around the Chicago program, timing, dates, sites and online voting will be announced in September.

American Express's partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation seeks to increase public awareness of the importance of historic and environmental conservation in the United States; preserve American historic and cultural landmarks; and strengthen local communities through preservation efforts.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a U.S. nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring America's historic landmarks and communities.

More information about the Partners in Preservation program and status of the San Francisco Bay Area project grant recipients can be found at http://www.partnersinpreservation.com/.

American Express and Historic Preservation
American Express [http://www.americanexpress.com] is a leading global payments, network and travel company founded in 1850.

Historic preservation has long been the hallmark of American Express' involvement in the community, reflecting its recognition of the contribution of sites and monuments to a sense of national and local identity and the role that their preservation can play in attracting visitors and revitalizing neighborhoods:

* As early as 1983, American Express launched a cause-related marketing effort that raised $1.7 million for the preservation of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island;

* From 1996 to 2005, American Express contributed more than $10 million to help preserve 119 historic sites in 59 countries from the World Monuments Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites; and

* In June 2006, the company announced the American Express Partners in Preservation initiative, with the National Trust for Historic Preservation as its partner in the U.S., and the World Monuments Fund as its partner internationally.

About the National Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation [http://www.nationaltrust.org] is a private, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to saving historic places and revitalizing America's communities.

Recipient of the National Humanities Medal, the National Trust for Historic Preservation was founded in 1949, and provides leadership, education, advocacy and resources to protect the irreplaceable places that tell America's story. Staff at the Washington, D.C., headquarters, six regional offices and 28 historic sites work with more than 270,000 members and thousands of preservation groups in all 50 states.

Source: American Express
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