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Casey Foundation to proposed mayoral mansion site to Salvation Army for sale
December 12, 2003

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Mayors Office press release Salvation Army press release

Government of the District of Columbia
Executive Office of the Mayor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, December 12, 2003
CONTACT: Tony Bullock
202-727-6846
202-368-4831 (cell)

Mayor Applauds Decision of Casey Foundation
Mayor’s Residence Site to be Sold, Proceeds to Benefit Communities East of the River

(Washington, DC) Earlier today, the Casey Mansion Foundation announced that it will abandon its efforts to construct and endow a permanent mayoral residence in the District of Columbia and convey the Foxhall property to the Salvation Army. The Salvation Army plans to sell the property and utilize the proceeds to finance the construction and operation of a community center in Anacostia. The new community center will be located at the intersection of Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue and Morris Road in Southeast Washington. The center will be owned and operated by the Salvation Army and will provide assistance for families, job opportunities, child care, continuing education, job training and other community services.

"This is a wonderful development," said Mayor Williams. "I applaud the foundation and Mrs. Betty Brown Casey for the decision to redirect this generous gift to those who need it most. The Salvation Army has a proven track record in our area. I look forward to continuing and expanding our relationship with the Salvation Army," he added.

The City Council and the Mayor agreed in principle to accept the gift for the mayor’s residence over two years ago. Efforts to acquire an adjoining parcel of land from the National Park Service delayed the project for nearly a year. During this period, the value of the property has increased considerably.

"I’m pleased that Mrs. Casey and the Casey Foundation have decided to make a gift of this magnitude to the Salvation Army for the purpose of providing essential social services and economic development opportunities to the residents of Anacostia.  Her generosity will complement the revitalization efforts that are underway in this area and encourage others to invest in neighborhoods east of the river," said Mayor Williams.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Salvation Army

Friday, December 12, 2003 – 12:00 Noon

Mayor’s Mansion Project Terminated
Foxhall Property to be Deeded to The Salvation Army Which Intends to Sell It and Fund a New Project Designed to Create Opportunities for Citizens of the District of Columbia

In the spirit of the Christmas season, the Casey Mansion Foundation is gifting the Foxhall Road property to The Salvation Army so that the proceeds from its sale can fund the Army's new model corps community center in Anacostia. Now in the planning stage, the center will provide social services, job training, day care, and economic development opportunities to the residents of Anacostia. The Board of the Casey Mansion Foundation has concluded that the value in the Foxhall property will bring greater benefit to the citizens of the District of Columbia by funding The Salvation Army project.

The opportunity to fully fund this project has delighted the staff at The Salvation Army's headquarters in Washington. Mrs. Betty Brown Casey's history of philanthropy is well known to The Salvation Army. In 1992, she provided the funds for a new facility in Montgomery County, dedicated to her late husband, Eugene B. Casey. Her generous gift also helped establish the Turning Point Center in Columbia Heights, a facility that provides transitional housing, social services, and day care for homeless women and their children.

In 2001, the Eugene B. Casey Foundation gave a $50 million gift to the Garden Club of America to facilitate the largest privately endowed program to ease the severe deterioration of the District of Columbia’s trees which had been neglected due to the City’s longstanding budget woes. For many years, Mrs. Casey has supported the hospitals and the arts in the Nation’s Capital, especially The Washington Opera and has looked to assist worthy projects in the City in which her husband grew up and loved so much.

The Salvation Army has deep roots in the Washington community. The Salvation Army began work in Washington, DC in June 1885, five years after the organization officially arrived in America from its home base in London. From the beginning, The Salvation Army established programs in Washington that have fed the hungry, sheltered the homeless, and provided counseling and support to those most in need of help. Its neighborhood locations and variety of services have developed as the city and its needs grew. In the early 20th century, programs were opened in neighborhoods such as Shaw in Northwest and in Southeast, where The Salvation Army has been ever since.

With that same sense of commitment and renewal to meet emerging needs, in 2000, The Salvation Army initiated a strategic planning process to evaluate its current locations, programs, and services in the District of Columbia. Under the leadership of Lt. Col. William Crabson, the Board was charged with the responsibility of finding ways for the Army to "penetrate deeper … reach farther … serve closer." The result was a strategic plan recommending a new corps community center east of the Anacostia River. The Eugene B. Casey Foundation was contacted about this project and had promised its support to at least $5 million.

In January 2002, The Salvation Army opened a small program office on Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue in order to serve its clients and to explore the possibilities for developing a new program in that location. After a year of listening and planning, The Salvation Army purchased a site at Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue and Morris Road to construct a new model corps community center with a combination of social services, job training, day care, and retail use. The facility will comprise five floors of approximately 46,000 square feet of mixed program use. To make its vision a reality, The Salvation Army was about to embark on a major capital campaign to raise the necessary funds. Instead, the Foundation’s gift will enable The Salvation Army to fast track the project and focus on developing the programs, services, and economic development opportunities to benefit the residents of that community.

The generosity of this gift will not only fund the construction of the center, but will also provide the initial operating funds for the program. This gift is the largest The Salvation Army has ever received for its work in the District of Columbia. Through this generosity, the residents of Anacostia will receive the gift of a facility that will provide continuing opportunities for employment close to home, meeting of basic needs, help for families, child care, continuing education and training, and business and economic development – all of the things that help make a "community" and create a sense of pride and permanency. The Salvation Army looks forward to continuing the collaborative effort it has been engaged in with the key organizations and leadership in Anacostia to develop an innovative model of a corps community center that reflects the community's priorities and The Salvation Army's history of service and commitment to the Washington, DC community.

Mrs. Casey is not available for comment.

For additional information contact:
Major Todd Smith
The Salvation Army
202/756-2602

Brendan V. Sullivan, Jr.
Williams & Connolly LLP
Attorneys for the Casey Mansion Foundation
202/434-5800

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