Acadian Memorial Foundation receives SAVE OUR HISTORY GRANT from The History Channel
Let The Children Speak: Historical Organization Partners with Local Schools to Tell The Stories of Acadia’s Children Refugees

NEW YORK, January 25, 2006— The History Channel today awarded the Acadian Memorial Foundation, Inc. in St. Martinville, La. with a $9,979 Save Our History grant to research and develop stories about the lives of children of the Acadian refugees.  Acadian Memorial is one of 26 history organizations that will receive Save Our History community preservation grants.  These will fund innovative, educational projects designed to bring communities together, actively engage children in the preservation of their local history and communicate the importance of saving local history for future generations.

The History Channel created the Save Our History Grant Program as an extension of the Save Our History philanthropic initiative and is committed to inspiring and motivating local communities to learn about and take an active role in the preservation of their past through projects involving artifacts, oral histories, sites, museums or landmarks that exist in their own neighborhoods. 

In the first two years of the National Grant Program, The History Channel has received funding requests exceeding $8 million from history organizations representing 50 states and the District of Columbia.  In 2006, The History Channel will have contributed more than $500,000 in grant funding toward this cause.

In partnership with Holbrook Multi-Media, Acadian Memorial will work with middle and high school students to research the histories and genealogies for many of the 1,497 Acadian children who were forced to flee their farms in Nova Scotia by the English in 1755.  Using primary and secondary resources, the students will gather historical facts about the culture and history of the Acadian settlers which they will then use to produce “first-hand” stories about the lives of actual children depicted in the Mural, The Arrival of the Acadians, or listed on the Wall of Names.  The best stories will be developed into scripts, recorded in both French and English by the students, produced into dramatic music and sound effect filled sound-scapes by Holbrook and incorporated into the Audio Interactive program at the Memorial which currently features four adults.  With so many children visiting the Memorial, it’s only fitting that it includes stories from a child’s point of view.

The audio reenactment recordings of the students’ scripts will be installed within the Audio Interactive exhibit at the Foundation.  Student stories, scripts and lesson plans will also be available on the Acadian Memorial’s website to promote community education on the Acadian population.  Eventually, the Memorial hopes to publish a book documenting the lives and experiences of “The Children of Early Acadiana” and encourage its use in the schools of Acadiana.

“In light of what we as a culture have been through this past year, the History Channel has really come to the rescue of Louisiana and its history,” said Brenda Comeaux Trahan, Acadian Memorial curator/director. Ms. Trahan worked with grant author Sylvia Bienvenu and Holbrook Multi-Media to apply for the offering.

Teachers and students in three Acadiana schools will participate in the project, including sixth grade students of Jodie Suire and Leah Popp at Catholic High School in Iberia Parish, French Immersion seventh grade students of Brigette Anderson at Paul Breaux Middle School in Lafayette Parish, and French Immersion seventh grade students of Peggy Freehan at Cecilia Junior High in St. Martin Parish.

Librarians, Clerks of Court and Genealogical Societies in the parishes of St. Martin, Iberia and Lafayette have agreed to assist these students in their quest for historical and genealogical facts.  The Center for Louisiana Studies at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette will allow the students to research there.

The History Channel is also awarding Save Our History grants to historic organizations in Alstead, N.H.; Athens, Tenn.; Atchison, Kan.; Augusta, Ga.; Baltimore; Bethlehem, Pa.; Brooklyn, N.Y.; Chicago; Cordova, Alaska; Denver; Elmira, N.Y.; Frederick, Md.; Fishers, Ind.; Galveston, Texas; Houston; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Miami; Minneapolis; Nashville, Tenn.; Philadelphia; Phoenix; Raleigh, N.C.; Santa Fe, N.M.; Ventura, Calif.

“Through the ongoing commitment of grants, the Save Our History National Program has been able to create a network of community preservation projects,” said Dan Davids, President of The History Channel - USA.  “The grants make it possible for communities to save significant elements of their local history and the partnership between the schools and the historic organizations brings communities together.  Beyond that, this interaction sets in motion a future of collaboration that will hopefully inspire generations to continue these historic preservation efforts.  We are proud to be a part of this momentum and help give communities the catalyst they need to begin saving their legacy.”

In its first year, these educational projects made lasting impressions on the participating children.  Many projects instilled a sense of responsibility and pride in students about their communities, resulting in increased excitement and involvement in the projects.  In Cleveland, the student attendance during this program increased to nearly 100% each day.  The Western Reserve Historical Society partnered with tenth grade students from the Academy of Creative Expressions at East High School and created an exhibit to display artifacts found during an archeological dig in the neighborhood.  Items found dated as far back as the 1880’s and told a rich history story of the people who lived there.  The final project was identified by the KnowledgeWorks Foundation of Cincinnati as a model service-based project for the Small High School Initiative in Ohio.  In Baltimore, the grant allowed the Maryland Historical Society to help a local high school produce the first oral history of Clifton Park, a district of Baltimore with deep roots in the desegregation movement of the 1960’s.  The students applied themselves to a surprising extent and created the first book of any kind written about the Clifton Park neighborhood.  Mary Pat Clark, a City Councilwoman, got word of the students work and rallied the entire community behind the effort resulting in an invitation for the children to speak with the Mayor at a City Council meeting.  

Historic organizations that are interested in funding for preservation projects developed with local schools or youth groups are encouraged to apply for a 2007 Save Our History Grant. Applications will be   available beginning February 1, 2006.

The History Channel also wishes to honor teachers and students across the country who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to local history through their preservation or history education efforts.  Applications for the Save Our History National Honors for Teachers and Students are due by April 7, 2006. A creative lesson plan, activity and/or project could win up to $5,000 in Cash Prizes.  For additional information on the Save Our History Grant Program or Save Our History National Honors Program please log onto www.saveourhistory.com.

About Save Our History Educational Materials
In 2004, The History Channel developed a comprehensive Educators’ Manual containing standards-based lesson plans, enrichment activities, and resources that help provide teachers in elementary, middle and high school with valuable materials that provide a connection between local and national history. 
To date, more than 20,000 educators at schools, youth groups, history museums, historic sites, and civic agencies have used the educational materials to teach over 250,000 students about their local history and the importance of preserving it.

Program Sponsor
For 2006, Lowe’s has signed on as the primary sponsor of Save Our History, as the official “home improvement” sponsor.  Lowe’s will also be the on-air sponsor for the program. 

About Lowe’s
With fiscal year 2005 sales of $36.5 billion, Lowe's Companies, Inc. is a FORTUNE® 50 company that serves approximately 11 million customers a week at more than 1,100 home improvement stores in 48 states. Based in Mooresville, N.C., the 59-year old company is the second-largest home improvement retailer in the world. For more information, visit Lowes.com.

About Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors
Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors is one of the world’s largest philanthropy services, helping donors create thoughtful, effective philanthropy throughout the world.  Originally developed as the private philanthropy service of the Rockefeller family, it is now an independent, nonprofit service that represents the cumulative knowledge and experience of more than a century of high quality professional service to America’s most philanthropic family. Over the past decade, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors has served more than 100 clients and facilitated over $850 million in gifts/grants to more than 40 countries.

About AASLH
AASLH was born in 1904 as a department within the American Historical Association. Now, one hundred years later, AASLH is the only national association dedicated to the people and organizations that practice state and local history in order to make the past more meaningful to all Americans. From its headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee, AASLH provides a variety of programs and services, as well as leadership in the national arena.

About Save Our History
Save Our History is an Emmy® Award-winning strategic philanthropic initiative of The History Channel that launched in 1998, designed to further historic preservation and history education.  The program supplements the teaching of history in America’s classrooms, educates the public on the importance of historical preservation and motivates communities across the country to help save endangered local historic treasures.  The Save Our History campaign includes original documentaries, special teachers’ materials, national promotion on The History Channel, broadband activities in schools, and has worked with The Smithsonian Institution, National Park Service, National Trust for Historic Preservation, National World War II Memorial, American Rivers and The White House 200th Anniversary. 

Additional information about the grassroots Save Our History program, including a comprehensive school manual containing suggested lesson plans for grades two through 12 and details about working with local preservation organizations can also be found at www.saveourhistory.com.  

The History Channel
Now reaching more than 88 million Nielsen subscribers, The History Channel®, "Where the Past Comes Alive®," brings history to life in a powerful manner and provides an inviting place where people experience history personally and connects their own lives to the great lives and events of the past. The History Channel earned six News and Documentary Emmy® Awards and previously received the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's "Save Our History®" campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. The History Channel web site is located at www.History.com. Press Only: For more information and photography please visit us on the web at www.historychannelpress.com.