The following is an excerpt from the announcement:

The Freedom Center—the national research and exhibition center on the subject of the Underground Railroad—will open in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2004.

The co-chairs of the Freedom Center's $105 million capital campaign are John Pepper, chairman of Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble, and Andrew Young, former Ambassador to the United Nations. In announcing the Federated Foundation grant Pepper noted, "Federated and its 130,000 employees nationwide have long played a significant role in ensuring the educational vitality of their communities. The gift continues that tremendous legacy by helping us tell America's freedom story—the Underground Railroad—and how that story impacts our lives today."

"Education is a cornerstone of Federated's corporate philanthropy programming, as well as our commitment to the community," commented Jim Zimmerman, Federated chairman and CEO. "Both our Foundation's funds and our employees' time are widely given in support of America's youth, and we see our leadership gift to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center as an extension of that involvement. This is a tremendous project that we believe will open the eyes and hearts of future generations of Americans, and we are proud to be part of this effort."

The Freedom Center will highlight the Underground Railroad's true stories of courage and cooperation in the quest for freedom. Using state-of-the-art exhibitions, dialogues, freedom stations, and its public Web site sponsored by the Federated Foundation, the Freedom Center will inspire today's freedom movements and serve as a catalyst for contemporary networks of collaboration. Federated joins a leadership group of companies and foundations from around the nation that have provided strong support for the Freedom Center. This gift brings the total raised to $62 million.

Freedom Center president and CEO, Ed Rigaud added, "I see strong ties between Federated's dedication to education and the Freedom Center's mission. This is demonstrated by Federated's history of philanthropy and employee volunteerism in hundreds of schools nationwide. The Freedom Center plans to distribute its freedom curriculum in schools throughout the United States. This generous gift is not only a statement about educational quality and diversity, but also about the potential of using technology to connect people in positive ways."

Sponsorship of the Web Site
The gift announcement coincided with the unveiling of the Freedom Center's newly redesigned Web site. The Web site design targets students, teachers, and American History enthusiasts and researchers. It features user-friendly organization and search functioning for obtaining information on the people, places, and timing of events of the Underground Railroad. Additionally, it is a resource for scholarly research, homework assistance, curriculum materials, and family stories. The new site also features news of contemporary events and message boards for discussion of today's slavery and freedom issues.

"The Internet is becoming accepted for what it is: a powerful tool, when used properly," said Rigaud. "Our Web presence will never replace the onsite visitation to the Freedom Center (in 2004) but our research and planning over the past year has taught us how best to meet the online interests of our visitors from around the U.S."

Bibliographies of the people of the Underground Railroad was one of the most often expressed interests by Internet users, with secondary interest being in maps, family history, and other classroom materials. As a result, the Freedom Center has concentrated its resources on developing its portal for just such educational programming. This site allows teachers to share curriculum plans with one another, identify resources, and observe other projects from around the nation including the Freedom Center's own online school project which will be available to schools nationwide.

Adding Personal Content to the Web
The Web site also is designed to maximize the collection of personal stories. On the history section, "Slavery's Past," visitors are encouraged to share their own family stories of the Underground Railroad and slavery. In the contemporary section, "Freedom Today," visitors are invited to share acts of courage—those moments when someone they know took a risk and stood up for another. These stories are a way for history museums to involve visitors in sharing the impact of freedom in America.

"The Internet is irrevocably changing how we view museums," asserted Rigaud. "This site will be an intersection where you will see history and become engaged in today's issues." The "Freedom Today" section of the Web site solicits contemporary freedom issues in cities and towns nationwide and provides opportunities to respond to what is important in that community using message boards. These will be followed later by listservs, live chats with freedom leaders, and other interactive media.