Investing in cultural preservation and the future of Pennsylvania, PPL Corporation has become the first corporate supporter of the Alliance of National Heritage Areas.
“By helping with this important preservation effort, PPL is supporting the rich heritage of our communities and advancing opportunities to bring new jobs and investment to Pennsylvania,” said Donald Bernhard, PPL’s manager-Community and Economic Development. He announced PPL’s support during the ANHA’s annual meeting Monday (3/3) in Washington, D.C.
“We believe in sustainable development and building on the rich heritage of our communities,” he said. “These are ideals that the ANHA strongly supports.”
PPL’s $20,000 donation will be divided four ways.
The Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, the Schuylkill River Valley National and State Heritage Area, and the Lackawanna Heritage Valley in Pennsylvania will each receive $5,000. The funds will support their respective programs focused on education, environmental stewardship, historic preservation, heritage tourism and cultural conservation.
These three heritage corridors are among the 37 areas across the country designated by the U.S. Congress and supported by the ANHA. Formed in 1997, the alliance is a nonprofit organization designed to raise awareness of the benefits of developing and sustaining national heritage areas.
The Heritage Development Institute, the professional development and education arm of the ANHA, will receive the remaining $5,000 from PPL’s donation and use it to attract financial support from other corporations.
“We are very pleased to have the generous support of PPL,” said John W. Cosgrove, executive director of the Alliance of National Heritage Areas. “We understand that when PPL makes business decisions, it looks for the solutions that balance the interests of everyone involved and provide a positive outcome for the community, the environment and the economy. Our partnership will provide those solutions.”
He said heritage development is an investment strategy designed to improve the quality of the lives of the residents it serves. It encourages residents to come together to create networks of partners to collaboratively plan and execute projects that recognize, preserve and celebrate a region’s story.
PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), headquartered in Allentown, Pa., controls more than 11,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States, sells energy in key U.S. markets and delivers electricity to about 4 million customers in Pennsylvania and the United Kingdom.