Well, not only is the National Memorial now paid for, but it's long term operation is now secure. They've reached their fundraising goal! hmmm....hopefully OKCTalk can have a similar celebration July 31st! He He!

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"Memorial surpasses funding campaign target
by David Page
The Journal Record
7/28/2005

A fund-raising campaign designed to secure the future of the Oklahoma City National Memorial has surpassed its goal.
The "Second Decade Campaign" to fund the memorial's endowment began in November to raise $5 million from private sources to match a $5 million federal appropriation, which had already been approved, and $5 million anticipated from the state.

On Wednesday, the memorial announced that it had raised $7.3 million from private sources, exceeding the $5 million goal.

"The overwhelming success of our campaign financially secures this historic site to teach the lessons of how terror was transformed to hope," said Frank Hill, chairman of the Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation.

Recent contributors to the Second Decade Campaign include the Jewish Federation of Greater Oklahoma City, PowerSmith Cogeneration Project, C.H. Guernsey & Co., Judge Frederick Daugherty, the Murrah Family Trust, Ann Murrah Shaw, Paul and Florence Murrah, Express Personnel Services, Gardner Tanenbaum Group and Trigen-Oklahoma City Corp.

The memorial had lead gifts of $2.5 million in November when the campaign was announced.

The lead gifts included a $1.5 million combined donation from the three largest energy companies based in Oklahoma City. Kerr-McGee, Devon Energy, and Chesapeake Energy all gave $500,000.

In April, Gov. Brad Henry signed legislation allocating $5 million in state money for the Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation's endowment. The $5 million federal appropriation would have been lost without the matching state funds.

Henry signed the bill under the memorial's "Survivor Tree" on April 18, the day before the 10th anniversary observance of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The blast killed 168 people in the federal building and in the surrounding area.

"I am hopeful that we will never have to build another memorial because of terrorism," Henry said when he signed the bill.

House Bill 1001, by state Rep. Susan Winchester, R-Chickasha, allocated $5 million in state funds to the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department for the memorial's endowment.

The landmark opened on April 19, 2000, five years after the bombing. The Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum was dedicated on Feb. 19, 2001.

The memorial was built where the federal building once stood. The museum is in the Journal Record Building, one of the sites heavily damaged in the bombing.

The Oklahoma City National Memorial Trust owned and operated the memorial and museum until April 2004, when all assets and liabilities were transferred to the Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation.

The memorial had revenues for the fiscal year ended Sept. 30 of $2 million, including 67 percent earned revenues and 33 percent contributed money.

Operating expenses for the fiscal year were $2.6 million, including $770,404 in management and general expenses, program services and operational expenses of $1.7 million and fund-raising expenses of $138,722.

Money from the first funding campaign totaled $29 million. It was used to build the three elements of the memorial - the outdoor symbolic memorial, the museum and the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism - as well as to seed an endowment.

When that money was raised from 1997-2000, memorial officials said the endowment would need to be increased as paid visitation leveled out."

Good news!

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