Former President Bush Dedicated the “Extra Mile Points of Light Volunteer Pathway” To Highlight Role of Service Movement in American Life.
AMERICUS, GA (PRWEB) October 20, 2005 -- A new national monument was unveiled in Washington, DC on Friday, with Millard and Linda Fuller among the Americans whose life work it immortalizes in bronze and granite. The new “Extra Mile Points of Light Volunteer Pathway” tells the stories of great Americans who, through their caring and personal sacrifice, built their dreams into great movements that have created enduring change in America.
Millard and Linda Fuller were two of only 20 honorees whose commemorative medallions were unveiled in Washington on Friday, October 14th. In a ceremony led by Former President George Bush, political commentator Cokie Roberts, and District of Columbia Mayor Anthony Williams, the Fullers were recognized for the role they played in founding Habitat for Humanity.
The Extra Mile is an initiative of the Points of Light Foundation. The monument required both Congressional and District of Columbia approvals and is made possible thanks to major support provided by the KPMG Foundation.
“Linda and I are profoundly honored to be receiving this award and becoming a part of this national monument dedicated to volunteerism,” said Millard Fuller, who founded The Fuller Center for Housing in May, 2005 (along with his wife, Linda, the Center’s co-founder) following their departures from Habitat for Humanity. “Our nation recently has seen tragedies the likes of which we’ve not experienced before; it will be volunteers working together through organizations like Habitat for Humanity and The Fuller Center for Housing that will be rebuilding whole cities and towns, and bringing life back to areas where the hurricanes brought devastation.”
The monument takes the form of a series of bronze markers laid into the sidewalks in an area adjacent to the White House. The markers are circular, three and a half feet in diameter, and laid into a surrounding six-foot square apron of granite. Each marker will bear the likeness of an honoree, a description of his or her achievement and a quote. Together, the markers form a one-mile walking path through an area surrounded by Pennsylvania Avenue, 15th Street, G Street, and 11th Street, NW.
Because the monument utilizes well-trafficked sidewalks near the White House, it will attract substantial immediate attention. Based on current pedestrian traffic alone, the Extra Mile will have more than 1.7 million visitors per year.
“We are thrilled to see this monument become a reality and to recognize the contributions of such heroic Americans as the Fullers,” said Robert Goodwin, President and CEO of the Points of Light Foundation. “Their legacy epitomizes the spirit of service in America and provides an inspiring example of how we all have the ability to go the extra mile for our fellow citizens.”
Other Extra Mile honorees include Martin Luther King, Jr., Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Clara Barton, Cesar Chavez and Frederick Douglass – as well as founders of organizations such as Goodwill Industries, Volunteers of America and Rotary International. For more information on the monument, visit www.ExtraMile.us. For more background on the Points of Light Foundation, visit www.PointsofLight.org.
The Fuller Center for Housing serves as a companion to low-income housing providers and Habitat for Humanity affiliates by providing funds and other support to advance their work toward ending homelessness and substandard housing around the world.
MEDIA NOTE: To interview the Fullers, contact Debbie Payton at (404) 245-8500.
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