Freedoms Foundation

The Freedoms Foundation 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.

Bill of Responsibilities at the Freedoms Foundation

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 Rights.

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.

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 Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for valor. The Medal of Honor Grove consists of forty-two acres of woodland. Within the grove, each area is dedicated to one of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.[9] 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.[9] 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.[9] "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.[9] American artist Peter Max designed the first stone on the Walk of Honor.[9]

At the foundation are ninety volumes of research on Medal of Honor recipients, including photographs, sketches, biographies, and handwritten citations.[10]

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.[11]

  • California Section of the Medal of Honor Grove
  • Directory of the Medal of Honor Grove
  • Medal of Honor Grove Individual Tree

Involvement with the Boy Scouts of America
George Washington Medal issued in 1952 as part of the BSA theme Forward on Liberty's Team

Since 1949, Freedoms Foundation and the Boy Scouts of America have worked together on numerous projects. This partnership has been renewed with the creation of the Price of Freedom conference.[12]

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.

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 means and 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 Scare, Civitan International was an active financial supporter of the Freedoms Foundation. The Civitan organization donated a 22-ton American credo monument in 1965.[13] 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.

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References
  1. Leavey Awards Archived 2011-10-30 at the Wayback Machine. Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  2. "66th Legislature, Resolutions - Congratulatory and Honorary". lrl.state.tx.us. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  3. Military Essay Archived November 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  4. Youth Essay/Speech Archived November 2, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  5. Community Entry Archived November 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  6. Schools Entry Archived November 2, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  7. Public Communications Archived November 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  8. Special Events Archived November 2, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  9. Medal Of Honor Grove Archived November 2, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  10. Woodall, Martha (October 23, 2011). "Honors for a nun who lauded heroes". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2011-10-26. Sister Maria Veronica Keane of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM). As a volunteer archivist at the Freedoms Foundation ..., 'Sister Veronica,' spent 17 years researching the lives of every person who had received the nation's highest military honor. .... She had turned down burial at Arlington National Cemetery ....
  11. Woodall, Martha (October 23, 2011). "Honors for a nun who lauded heroes". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2011-10-26. A few hours after the graveside ceremony, 140 people attended a $500-a-plate dinner at the Freedoms Foundation to raise money for the Friends of the Medal of Honor Grove for grove maintenance and improvements.
  12. https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/03-118.pdf
  13. Armbrester, Margaret E. (1992). The Civitan Story. Birmingham, AL: Ebsco Media. p. 96.

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