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 |