Posted on 10/20/2005 8:41:40 PM PDT by Calpernia
The foundation raising money to build the World Trade Center memorial, a Sept. 11 museum and two other cultural buildings at ground zero said Thursday it has raised $101 million in six months.
Meanwhile, the head of a proposed freedom museum evicted from ground zero resigned from the foundation's board of directors, saying the plan to create a ``living memorial'' at the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks ``has been abandoned.''
The foundation's board met Thursday for the first time since Gov. George E. Pataki removed the International Freedom Center from ground zero after families complained that the building meant for the freedom museum should only be devoted to Sept. 11.
Opponents including the Uniformed Firefighters Association had urged the public not to donate to the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation while plans for the freedom museum remained. The foundation board promised at a July meeting that all donations would go first toward building the memorial, which is scheduled to open in 2009.
The foundation will eventually own and operate the World Trade Center memorial, Sept. 11 museum, the cultural building that was designed for the freedom museum and a performing arts complex on the 16-acre site.
``Today's $101 million achievement is a powerful indication of the broad support to build the World Trade Center memorial,'' foundation president Gretchen Dykstra said in a statement. At a news conference, Pataki called the trade center memorial ``the single most important thing we have to do in lower Manhattan.''
Pataki also signed a law that would let New York state residents and businesses contribute to the memorial by checking off a box on their tax returns.
The foundation set a goal of $500 million in private fund-raising when it began efforts six months ago. That money, plus $300 million pledged by the Lower Manhattan Development Corp., the state agency in charge of rebuilding, should be enough to build all the cultural facilities except for the performing arts center, state officials have said. But construction has not begun on any of the projects and their budgets have not been finalized. The fund-raising goal has no deadline.
The largest donations include $25 million from the private Starr Foundation, $15 million from Deutsche Bank and $10 million from the Bank of New York. Robert Wood Johnson IV, a board member who owns the New York Jets, donated $1 million. Donations have come from 39 states and the District of Columbia, the foundation said.
Foundation spokeswoman Lynn Rasic wouldn't say if givers were more generous after the Freedom Center was removed but said Thursday that, ``the resolution provided greater clarity to donors.''
Wednesday's resignation of Tom A. Bernstein, the Freedom Center's co-founder and chairman, was the second from the 38-member board in protest of the freedom museum's removal by Pataki on Sept. 28. Former Museum of Modern Art president Agnes Gund also resigned last month over the freedom museum.
In his letter, Bernstein said that the freedom museum was chosen for ground zero after a selection process ``that called for the creation of a 'living memorial.''
``It is now clear that the plan for a 'living memorial' has been abandoned,'' Bernstein wrote.
Rasic said the foundation was sorry to lose Bernstein's support.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1506421/posts
Seems FR has nasty problems today!
I think that one got yank.
THE SOROS-IZATION OF GROUND ZERO
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1418112/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1422800/posts
"New York 9-11 Memorial will include museums on Indian genocide, black slavery genocide, more"
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1424158/posts
THE ROLE OF CHARITIES AND NGO’S IN THE FINANCING OF TERRORIST ACTIVITIES
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1441855/posts
Take Back The Memorial
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1450994/posts
9/11 Families Boycotting Memorial Fund
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1493116/posts
Governor Pataki Says No to IFC at Ground Zero!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1426833/posts
Rally to Take Back the 9/11 Memorial--After-Action Report
Hurray! My thread! It LIVES!!!!
It was a victim for FR DataBase Indigestion yesterday!
>>>>It was a victim for FR DataBase Indigestion yesterday!
Should have been:
It was a victim of FR DataBase Indigestion yesterday!
LOL! Thanks for the ping :-)
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