Shell Oil Donates $1 Million to Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

WASHINGTON -- Shell Oil Co., along with CIGNA and the Verizon Foundation, each donated $1 million -- to total $3 million -- to build a memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. on the National Mall, located here. The contributions will bring the memorial's fund-raising efforts to $76 million. An estimated $100 million will be needed to complete the project.

"CIGNA, Shell Oil Co. and the Verizon Foundation, along with General Motors, the Tommy Hilfiger Corporate Foundation and our other major donors will be permanently etched on the Visitor Center Donor Wall on the National Mall at the Memorial site," said Harry E. Johnson Sr., president of the Memorial Foundation.

He continued: "The world will see that they were instrumental in honoring the life of Martin Luther King and the fact that he made this world better for all. Today, I call on all corporations, corporate foundations, and individuals to join us in supporting the Memorial with the significant financial support that this important Memorial deserves."

"Shell Oil Co. is proud to commemorate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by donating one million dollars to the MLK National Memorial," said John Hofmeister, president of Shell Oil. "At Shell, creating an inclusive environment that elicits the very best from our employees is fundamental to our success, because as recognized by Dr. King, true strength lies in a diversity of talents."

Shell joins a list of major contributors to the Memorial Foundation -- Coca-Cola Foundation, PepsiCo Foundation, ExxonMobil Foundation, among others.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial will be built adjacent to the F.D.R. Memorial and in a direct line between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. The ceremonial groundbreaking took place on Nov. 13, and the memorial is scheduled to be completed in 2008.
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