The American Village Presents The First Ever Liberty Legacy Award to The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union

At the 2008 Liberty Legacy Celebration Dinner held at the Wynfrey Hotel on Saturday night, The American Village awarded The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union with the first ever Liberty Legacy Award for Visionary and Exemplary American Leadership.

(PRWEB) April 9, 2008 -- At the 2008 Liberty Legacy Celebration Dinner held at the Wynfrey Hotel on Saturday night, The American Village awarded The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union with the first ever Liberty Legacy Award for Visionary and Exemplary American Leadership.

American Village selected The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union because of their successful effort to rescue and restore George Washington's Historic Mount Vernon and because of their continued commitment to keep George Washington first in the hearts and minds of our country. American Village's Executive Director, Thomas Walker said, "They rescued a deteriorating national treasure when no one else would. When the federal government refused funding assistance and the State of Virginia refused involvement, these women bonded together through a passion for history and privately raised the funds needed to restore and maintain Mount Vernon. Additionally, the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association was selected because they very closely mirror our mission at American Village. They understand the need to keep the life and teachings of George Washington relevant in today's society."

The mission of the American Village is to strengthen and renew the foundations of American liberty and self-government through citizenship education, so it is only natural that they would select the oldest national historic preservation organization in the country as the recipient for their first ever Liberty Legacy Award. Just as the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association works to spread the teachings of George Washington, American Village works to build responsible citizens through immersive interactive programming that features historical interpretation. "We want everyone to know America's history, cherish the ideals of liberty and serve our country as good citizens. We accomplish these goals by creating an interactive, hands-on historical experience for our visitors," said Walker.

The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is a private, non-profit organization founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham. The Association is the oldest national historic preservation organization in the country, and it has always been in the forefront of the restoration field. The estate now includes a museum, the tombs of George and Martha Washington, Washington's greenhouse, an outdoor exhibit devoted to American agriculture as practiced by Washington, one of the nation's most important memorials to the accomplishments of 18th-century slaves, and a collection which features numerous decorative and domestic artifacts. Mount Vernon welcomes an average of 1,000,000 visitors each year.

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