The National Guard Educational Foundation formally welcomed eight new major financial donors March 19 at a special reception at the National Guard Memorial, the NGAUS headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The eight contributed a total of $120,000 to join the Legion de Lafayette, the primary funding source for the NGEF, which operates the National Guard Memorial Museum and other programs designed to preserve and tell 376 years of the Guard story.
LdL membership requires a donation of $10,000 or more. Click here to see photos on Flickr.
Foundation officials also used the evening to recognize seven existing LdL members who contributed a total of $70,000 more to the foundation.
New LdL members included four corporations and four individuals.
Hendrick Motorsports ($50,000), the owner of four NASCAR teams, including the National Guard car driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr., General Electric Aviation ($10,000), Polaris Defense ($10,000) and T-Mobile ($10,000) are the new corporate members.
All of Hendrick’s contribution went to the museum’s 9/11 Era Gallery, which opened in November. The company based in Charlotte, N.C., is the new gallery’s largest single benefactor.
The new individual members are retired Lt. Gen. H Steven and Susie Blum ($10,000), retired Col. Raymond Jardine Jr. ($10,000), Command Sgt. Maj. R.A. Oram ($10,000) and retired Lt. Col. Ronald G. Washburn ($10,000).
Blum is the second former chief of the National Guard Bureau to become an LdL member. Retired Gen. Craig R. McKinley is also a member, along with his wife, Cheryl.
Existing LdL members recognized for additional contributions were BAE Systems ($10,000), CALIBRE ($10,000), EADS North America ($10,000), Grantham University ($10,000), the Hawaii National Guard Association ($10,000), Onsite Health ($10,000) and Systems Plus Inc. ($10,000).
