Boeing

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) has donated an additional $1 million toward the effort to build a lasting memorial honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

The gift pushes the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. closer to reaching the $120 million needed to fund the Memorial, which will be dedicated in a West Potomac Park ceremony on October 16th.  Boeing helped launch fundraising activities in 2008 with another $1 million gift to the foundation.

In announcing the gift, Harry E. Johnson, Sr. president and CEO of the Memorial Foundation said he hoped the Boeing gift would generate momentum to push donations to the Foundation's $120 million goal. "We are so very grateful to our friends at Boeing for donating an additional one million dollars. We have now passed the $116 million mark and, as we prepare for the dedication of the Memorial, we're also pushing forward to conclude our fundraising activities on behalf of Dr. King's legacy and all it represents," he said.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial on the National Mall honors a man of peace, hope, and for the first time, of color. Located on the Tidal Basin, the Memorial creates a visual line of leadership between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. The Memorial will be an engaging landscape experience conveying four fundamental and recurring themes throughout Dr. King's life – democracy, hope, justice, and love – and features the use of natural elements including water, stone, and trees. A 450-foot inscription wall features 14 quotations from Dr. King's speeches, sermons, and writings, to serve as a lasting testament and reminder of Dr. King's humanitarian vision. The Memorial will include the "Mountain of Despair" and the "Stone of Hope," which will feature a 30-foot sculpture of Dr. King.

"We honor Dr. King as a courageous and visionary leader," Jim McNerney, Boeing chairman, president and CEO, said. "He knew that when all people have the freedom to dream big dreams, to be included and respected even during disagreement, to learn, to contribute and to achieve, we strengthen our nation for generations to come."

Boeing will join Aetna, BP, Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines, GE, McDonalds, Travelers, and Wal-Mart Stores as Vice Chairs for Dedication. The General Motors Foundation and Chevrolet will serve as Dedication Chair and Dedication Co-Chair is The Tommy Hilfiger Corporate Foundation. For a complete list of supporters please visit www.buildthedream.org; to learn more about Dedication and Dedication Week activities, visit www.dedicatethedream.org.

A video featuring Boeing's chief financial officer James Bell at www.boeing.com describes Boeing's commitment to the memorial and the ideals for which it stands.

About Boeing

Boeing is the world's leading aerospace-based company and the largest manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft combined. Additionally, Boeing has customers, products and support services in more than 150 countries around the world and is one of the largest U.S. exporters in terms of sales. Headquartered in Chicago, Boeing employs more than 164,000 people in more than 67 countries.

About the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc.

A Memorial honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is being completed on the National Mall, situated adjacent to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, and in a direct line between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. Congress passed a Joint Resolution in 1996 authorizing Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. to establish a Memorial in Washington, D.C. honoring Dr. King. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial will be dedicated on October 16th, 2011. McKissack & McKissack / Turner Construction Company / Tompkins Builders, Inc. / Gilford Corporation Joint Venture serves as the Design-Build Team. For more information or to make a donation, visit www.buildthedream.org.

Media Contacts:
Boeing
Chaz Bickers, 312 544 2002; charles.n.bickers@boeing.com
Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr.
National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc.
Sara Neumann, (202) 414-0788; sneumann@susandavis.com

SOURCE Boeing; Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc.