Pentagon Memorial Fund Receives $2.5 Million Donation to Build Visitor Education Center

08/09/2016 06:00

WASHINGTON, Sept. 8, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- James J. Laychak, President of the Pentagon Memorial Fund, announced today the Pentagon Memorial Visitor Education Center (PMVEC) project has received its largest donation in history from the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation. With ceremonies honoring the 15^th year since the attack on the Pentagon approaching, this donation serves as a catalyst for the project and is another reminder of the pledge this country made in the wake of September 11, 2001 to "Never Forget."

"The Diana Davis Spencer Foundation has a long history of supporting education and national defense initiatives. This project advances both of these important efforts as well as honors the lives that were lost that day," said Laychak. "One of the shared concerns of all who lived through that tragic day is to make sure future generations understand what happened and work to ensure it never happens again."

The 9/11 Pentagon Memorial Visitor Education Center will be a place where visitors from around the world can learn about the events of September 11, 2001, the lives lost that day, and the historic significance of the Pentagon Memorial site.

Content for the exhibits and education curricula will be provided through working collaborations with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Geographic, the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Air Marshals, the Smithsonian Museum of American History, The Museum of Tolerance - New York, Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum, Tribute World Trade Center (WTC) Visitor Center, the National September 11 Memorial and Museum and the Flight 93 Memorial/National Park Service.

"We are proud to be a landmark supporter of the Pentagon Memorial Visitor Education Center, where we hope the lessons of the past will protect the future," said Diana Davis Spencer, Chairman and President of The Diana Davis Spencer Foundation. "This education center will not only honor the lives that were lost that day, but it will also educate so many to the strong response we as a country made in the face of terrorism."

About the Pentagon Memorial Fund:
The Pentagon Memorial Fund is a non-profit organization established by the families of the 184 victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in Washington, DC. The Memorial Fund's mission is to provide for the construction and permanent maintenance of the Pentagon Memorial and Pentagon Visitor Education Center. The Pentagon Memorial is a place for reflection, remembrance and renewal. For more information about the Pentagon Memorial, please visit www.pentagonmemorial.org.

About The Diana Davis Spencer Foundation:
The Diana Davis Spencer Foundation espouses the values upon which our nation was founded: freedom and individual responsibility. The mission of the foundation is to promote national security, entrepreneurship, self-reliance, free enterprise, and to enhance quality of life by supporting the arts, education, global understanding, health advancements, and preservation of the environment. For more information, visit www.ddsfoundation.org.