Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge
Encyclopedia
The Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge is a national, non-profit, non-partisan, non-sectarian educational organization, founded in 1949. The Foundation is located adjacent to the Valley Forge National Historical Park
, near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
, U.S., and sits on ground that was once part of General George Washington
's Valley Forge
encampment during the American Revolutionary War
.
.
, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
. Each acre contains an obelisk that features a dedication plaque, plus the seal of that state, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico, plus a list of Medal of Honor recipients from that state, D.C., or Puerto Rico. In most cases, a tree has been planted for each recipient, along with a tree marker that contains the name, rank, unit, and date and place of action for the recipient. "America's Walk of Honor" was dedicated in April 1997, to allow visitors an opportunity to walk the grounds of the Medal of Honor Grove. American artist Peter Max
designed the first stone on the Walk of Honor.
At the foundation are ninety volumes of research on Medal of Honor recipients, including photographs, sketches, biographies, and handwritten citations.
The grove is supported by the Friends of the Medal of Honor Grove, a nonprofit organization which seeks to maintain and upgrade the fifty-two acres of the woodland park, in honor of Medal of Honor recipients.
have worked together on numerous projects. This partnership has been renewed with the creation of the Price of Freedom conference.
The Price of Freedom Conference is a four-day residential program that allows participants the opportunity to interact with experts on current issues of citizenship, patriotism, leadership, and heroism. Participants have the opportunity to make history come to life as they tour colonial Philadelphia and Valley Forge NHP, the site of the 1950, 1957, and 1964 Boy Scout jamborees
.
, Civitan International was an active financial supporter of the Freedoms Foundation. The Civitan organization donated a 22-ton American credo monument in 1965. The Freedoms Foundation received $210,000 in grants from 1986 to 2005 from conservative foundations, including the John M. Olin Foundation
(Olin Industries) and Castle Rock Foundation
(Coors). The annual Leavey Awards are funded by the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation
of Los Angeles
.
Valley Forge National Historical Park
Valley Forge National Historical Park is the site where the Continental Army spent the winter of 1777–1778 near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, during the American Revolutionary War. The National Historical Park preserves the site and interprets the history of the Valley Forge encampment. ...
, near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
The Village of Valley Forge is an unincorporated settlement located on the west side of Valley Forge National Historical Park at the confluence of Valley Creek and the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania, United States. The remaining village is in Schuylkill Township of Chester County, but once...
, U.S., and sits on ground that was once part of General George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
's Valley Forge
Valley Forge
Valley Forge in Pennsylvania was the site of the military camp of the American Continental Army over the winter of 1777–1778 in the American Revolutionary War.-History:...
encampment during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
.
Bill of Responsibilities
In 1985, the Foundation developed a "Bill of Responsibilities" as part of its worldwide educational efforts. It was meant to be a corollary to the Bill of RightsBill of rights
A bill of rights is a list of the most important rights of the citizens of a country. The purpose of these bills is to protect those rights against infringement. The term "bill of rights" originates from England, where it referred to the Bill of Rights 1689. Bills of rights may be entrenched or...
.
Awards Program
The Foundation is known for its awards programs honoring Americans from all walks of life, organizations and institutions who set examples in responsible citizenship, free enterprise education, and long-term civic accomplishment.- Leavey Award for Excellence in Private Enterprise Education
- Distinguished Award
- George Washington Honor Medal. This medal is awarded in the following categories:
- Military Essay
- Youth Essay/Speech
- Community Entry
- Schools Entry
- Public Communications
- Special Events
Medal of Honor Grove
As part of its mission to promote responsible citizenship, character and freedom, the Foundation maintains the nation’s only living testimony dedicated to recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for valor. The Medal of Honor Grove consists of fifty-two acres of woodland. Within the grove, each acre is dedicated to one of the fifty statesU.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. Each acre contains an obelisk that features a dedication plaque, plus the seal of that state, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico, plus a list of Medal of Honor recipients from that state, D.C., or Puerto Rico. In most cases, a tree has been planted for each recipient, along with a tree marker that contains the name, rank, unit, and date and place of action for the recipient. "America's Walk of Honor" was dedicated in April 1997, to allow visitors an opportunity to walk the grounds of the Medal of Honor Grove. American artist Peter Max
Peter Max
Peter Max is a German-born Jewish American artist. At first, works in this style appeared on posters and were seen on the walls of college dorms all across America. Max then became fascinated with new printing techniques that allowed for four-color reproduction on product merchandise...
designed the first stone on the Walk of Honor.
At the foundation are ninety volumes of research on Medal of Honor recipients, including photographs, sketches, biographies, and handwritten citations.
The grove is supported by the Friends of the Medal of Honor Grove, a nonprofit organization which seeks to maintain and upgrade the fifty-two acres of the woodland park, in honor of Medal of Honor recipients.
Involvement with the Boy Scouts of America
Since 1949, Freedoms Foundation and the Boy Scouts of AmericaBoy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
have worked together on numerous projects. This partnership has been renewed with the creation of the Price of Freedom conference.
The Price of Freedom Conference is a four-day residential program that allows participants the opportunity to interact with experts on current issues of citizenship, patriotism, leadership, and heroism. Participants have the opportunity to make history come to life as they tour colonial Philadelphia and Valley Forge NHP, the site of the 1950, 1957, and 1964 Boy Scout jamborees
National Scout jamboree (Boy Scouts of America)
The national Scout jamboree is a gathering, or jamboree of thousands of members of the Boy Scouts of America, usually held every four years and organized by the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Referred to as "the Jamboree", "Jambo", or NSJ, Scouts from all over the nation and world...
.
Youth Conferences
The goals of this program are to:- Motivate participants to think about themselves and their goals and values, and stimulate and commit them to serious participation in American society.
- Develop leadership skills and build self-reliance and self-esteem.
- Challenge participants to develop an understanding of what good citizenship meansand what it takes to achieve it.
- Explore the concept of an American hero and define heroism.
- Develop a deeper appreciation and understanding of the sacrifices made by individuals in defense of liberty and the democratic way of life.
Funding
During the Red ScareMcCarthyism
McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by...
, Civitan International was an active financial supporter of the Freedoms Foundation. The Civitan organization donated a 22-ton American credo monument in 1965. The Freedoms Foundation received $210,000 in grants from 1986 to 2005 from conservative foundations, including the John M. Olin Foundation
John M. Olin Foundation
John M. Olin Foundation was a grant-making foundation established in 1953 by John M. Olin, president of the Olin Industries chemical and munitions manufacturing businesses. Unlike most non-profit foundations, the John M. Olin Foundation was charged to spend all of its assets within a generation of...
(Olin Industries) and Castle Rock Foundation
Castle Rock Foundation
The Castle Rock Foundation is a conservative foundation started in 1993 with an endowment of $36.6M from the Adolph Coors Foundation. It ranked as Colorado's 15th largest foundation by assets at the end of 2001...
(Coors). The annual Leavey Awards are funded by the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation
Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation
The Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation is a charitable foundation founded by Farmers Insurance Group co-founder Thomas E. Leavey and his wife Dorothy E. Risley Leavey in 1952. In the fifteen year period from 1981 to 1994, the Leavey Foundation donated more than $100 million to institutions and...
of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.