August
13, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FIRST LADY HOPE TAFT ENCOURAGES
OHIO’S APPALACHIAN COUNTIES TO PARTICIPATE IN MAKE
A DIFFERENCE DAY
Columbus,
OH --
Ohio’s
First Lady
Hope Taft
today urged
Ohio’s
29 Appalachian
counties
to participate
in this
year’s
Make A
Difference
Day on
October
23. Mrs.
Taft encouraged
these counties
to apply
for grant
money that
can be
used to
undertake
volunteer
projects
that protect
or enhance
heritage
assets
in their
region.
“Many
of Ohio’s
Appalachian
communities
have played
an outstanding
role in past
years for
Make A Difference
Day in Ohio,” said
Mrs. Taft,
Ohio’s
co-chair
for the event. “This
grant money
will hopefully
encourage
more Appalachian
communities
to participate
in this year’s
event, while
also encouraging
them to take
part in projects
that restore,
protect and
promote the
heritage
of their
region.”
This
year marks
the 14th
Annual Make
A Difference
Day, the
largest single
day of volunteering
in the nation.
Ohio has
led the nation
in the total
number of
projects
completed
on Make a
Difference
Day for the
past four
years. Last
year, four
Appalachian
communities
were top
winners of
the 2003
Make A Difference
Day Ohio
award.
This
year, the
Governor’s
Office of
Appalachia
has awarded
$58,000 to
Ohio’s
Hill Country
Heritage
Area to encourage
more communities
to participate
in the 2004
event. Ohio’s
Hill Country
Heritage
Area is a
non-profit,
membership
organization
whose mission
is to actively
promote heritage
activities
throughout
the Appalachian
region. Each
Appalachian
county can
apply for
up to $2,000
in funding,
with 25 percent
of the grant
funds requested
being matched
by the applicant.
To be considered,
grant applicants
must be non-profit
or governmental
in nature
and be represented
by a certified
non-profit
organization.
Communities
can use the
funds to
either preserve/clean
up a historically
significant
building
cemetery
or site;
interpret
a heritage
site or story;
install public
art promoting
heritage;
or collect,
archive and/or
store heritage
documents
or artifacts.
Volunteer
projects
must begin
and end on
October 23,
2004.
For
more information
and the grant
application,
log on to
www.appalachianohio.com
and click
on the Governor’s
Office of
Appalachia
icon. Applications
must be postmarked
by August
31, 2004
and returned
to: Ohio’s
Hill Country
Heritage
Area, P.O.
Box 328,
Athens, Ohio
45701. For
more information
on the event,
please contact
Wanda Hairston
by e-mail
at whairston@odod.state.oh.us or
by phone
at 1-800-848-1300
ext. 49228
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