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National Heritage Program Begins Campaign to Raise Awareness
National Heritage Program Begins Campaign to Raise Awareness
Over the next month, supporters of the National Heritage Area (NHA) program from across the country will join together through special events to raise awareness of the effectiveness of the congressionally designated program.
An NHA is an area that contains historical, cultural, and natural resources that tell the vibrant story of the nation's evolution and culture. NHA's expand on traditional approaches to resource stewardship by supporting large-scale, community centered initiatives that connect local citizens to the preservation process.
Through modest federal investment, heritage areas have developed a model that builds sustainable partnerships and leverages significant and diversified investments into the areas they serve. On average, the NHA's leverage $5.50 for every dollar received by the federal government.
South Carolina contains two of these nationally designated programs. The South Carolina National Heritage Corridor (SCNHC) is a 17 county area that was designated in 1996. The Gullah Geechee National Heritage Area runs from Wilmington, NC, through SC and into Florida and was designated in 2006.
This awareness campaign, designed by the Alliance of National Heritage Areas (ANHA), a membership group dedicated to furthering the success of NHA's, will include local events within the 49 heritage areas spread through 32 states. The campaign will culminate with a rally and press conference in Washington, DC on June 15, 2010.
The campaign slogan "National Heritage Areas: Smart, Green and Working" provides an excellent synopsis of the National Heritage Area movement, according to ANHA Chairman and SCNHC President and CEO, Michelle McCollum. "Not only do we engage in smart growth practices but we also are a smart model for public private partnerships that leverage diverse investment into locally driven initiatives. Heritage areas are also 'green' through our efforts to preserve and adaptively reuse our built environment and to protect and build stewards of our nation's natural resources while also utilizing those resources as venues for our regions' economic growth and vitality. And we're 'working' successfully to build coalitions, provide education and training on best practices and to ultimately create jobs," said McCollum.
For more information on the National Heritage Area program, or the Alliance of National Heritage Areas, visit www.nationalheritageareas.com. For more information on the local awareness campaign, visit www.sc-heritagecorridor.org.
