 Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the stage, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Stephanie Meeks. Well, hello again, and thank you so much. It's great to be with you all at the end of what has been, I think, just a fantastic week. And it, I wanna, yes, it has been. I've been just really energized by all the sessions that I've had a chance to attend and to see almost all of them were standing room only. So I'm gonna come back in a second and thank a few people. But before I do that, I did wanna give you a couple of updates on some items that we've been talking about and that Tim Whalen, our chairman, briefed you on at the opening plenary. And the first one is the tax credit. And you've been hearing about the Federal Historic Tax Credit all week. And I'm really pleased to let you know that I got a text at about 10 o'clock last night from our team saying that the Senate bill does include the tax credit at 20%, restored to 20%. I should say the draft bill. And there was a change and the credit would be taken rateably over five years. The Senate is planning to vote on their bill right after Thanksgiving. So I wanted to share that good news with you, but the pressure really isn't off. As our lobbying teams tell us, we're in about the third inning of a baseball game here. So we need to keep the pressure on. But of course, assuming that the Senate does approve this, then when it goes to reconciliation with the House, it gives us another chance to push again for the tax, the Federal Historic Tax Credit to once again be installed as a permanent part of the tax code. So you'll hear more from us on email and thank you so much for the letters and phone calls that you've already made. It really is making a difference. The second thing that I wanted to just brief you on quickly is a humanitarian and preservation effort that we have going on in support of all of our friends in Puerto Rico. The National Trust has had a long partnership with the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico. Their executive director, Fernando Lovarez, serves on our board of trustees. And I had the opportunity to have dinner with Fernando a couple of weeks ago and asked him what we could be doing that would be the most helpful to him. And he said, Stephanie, we need tarps. We need about 200 tarps for historic buildings that lost their roofs. So we are shipping to them this weekend 200 very large tarps that can be used for roofs. But we're also hoping that all of you and National Trust members and others interested in wishing to be supportive will consider making a contribution to our tarp campaign. So if you go to savingplaces.org slash Puerto Rico, you'll have an opportunity to make a contribution to help our preservation friends in Puerto Rico in a very practical and tangible way. So thank you for doing that. Now a lot of effort obviously goes into pulling together and putting on a conference like this. And I want to take a few minutes to thank some of the people who have been just absolutely instrumental in making this week possible. Let me first recognize Susan West Montgomery, our Vice President for Preservation Resources. Susan brings such great leadership and vision to these conferences. And you can see her handiwork and her thinking throughout the week. And I also want to recognize her team, Farine Salahuddin, Rhonda Sincavage, Jackie Johnson, Colleen Danes, Jordan Torrance, Rebecca Bice, Diana Maxwell, and Allison Yu. Thanks to all of you. I also want to recognize and thank again our presenting partners this year, Landmarks Illinois Bonnie. Thank you so much for your support. And also the Alpha Wood Foundation. Thank you so much for your support, Brad and Jim. And I want to thank our trust live presenters, Brian Lee, who led us in such a fascinating conversation about the potential and possibilities of re-urbanism. Zenka, who helped us imagine new technologies to help more people and tell more stories and save more places. And Holly Morris, who just earlier today helped articulate another exciting frontier in our work, all the ways that historic places are intricately connected to our health, our wellness, and our sense of well-being. And I especially want to acknowledge Richard Brown and all of our friends at American Express for sponsoring this closing luncheon and the Aspire Award. Richard, thank you for being here. So with that in mind, let me now invite to the stage my friend and the vice chair, one of the vice chairs of our board, the chairman of our finance committee and the former chair of our audit committee, Susan Chapman Hughes. Susan's a senior vice president of U.S. large market, Global Commercial Payments at American Express, and she is presenting this year's Aspire Award to an emerging preservation star. Susan? Thank you, Stephanie. Good afternoon, everyone. Oh, we have to try that again. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you. I am so pleased to be here today to hear about all the work that you all do, especially to honor the work of one individual in particular. Nicole Morocco, our 2017 American Express Aspire Award winner. The Aspire Award recognizes an emerging leader in preservation, one who we see as having the great potential to influence the future of the preservation movement. Through her work on the West Virginia State Historic Tax Credit Campaign, Nicole proved her natural ability for community organization and set a precedent of how to organize an incredibly influential grassroots campaign. Please join me in watching this brief video honoring her efforts. In early 2016, Nicole Morocco, the abandoned property coalition coordinator of the West Virginia Community Development Hub, took a leading role in the campaign to expand West Virginia's State Historic Tax Credit. Despite having no formal training in real estate or preservation, Morocco proved incredibly adept at learning on the job. Through her efforts, the campaign grew to include 30 organizers, 20 partners, and 38 cities, counties, and organizations. Though the tax credit increase did not make it through the 2017 session, it became one of the most debated proposals in the state legislature, setting the stage for future success. With this experience in hand, Morocco recently began a graduate degree program at Rutgers University, focusing on the more efficient use of real estate tools for community development and creative policy solutions for vacant and dilapidated buildings. There is no doubt that Morocco's budding career will be a boost for preservation as she continues to mobilize people to action and link preservation to a larger community building movement. I also have the great pleasure to add that since this video was produced, House Bill 203 to increase the West Virginia State Historic Tax Credit to 25% did indeed pass during a special legislation session last month. Congratulations to all who worked on the campaign. And I think we are all excited about the future of presentation. Thank you, Nicole, for your work. Please join me on stage to accept your award. Thank you, Susan, and congratulations, Nicole. That was a great kicker. I hadn't heard the end of that story, so that's really exciting. And it just shows once again how important our advocacy is and our patience and our persistence. And that is a theme that you will find resident in our next speaker as well and our next honoree who will also be this afternoon's keynote speaker. And he can just tell you all about how persistence has paid off in his own career. I'm delighted to present this year's Louise DuPont Crown and Shield Award, the National Trust's highest honor to a preservation pioneer whose career has been so incredibly full. 55 years ago, in the summer of 1962, Robert Stanton, a college student at the historically black Houston Tillotson University in Austin, Texas, took a job as a seasonal park ranger at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. He didn't just find his park there, he found his calling. And ever since, Bob has maintained an unparalleled career in public service, including serving as the first African-American director of the National Park Service under President Clinton. For five and a half decades, he's been passionately dedicated to our parks and public lands and a role model for any number of aspiring preservationists and park employees. Today, we honor that amazing commitment, not just to saving places, but ensuring that they're always open and inviting to and reflect the stories of each and every American. Please join me in watching a brief video about his work. Former National Park Service Director, Robert Stanton, spent nearly 40 years with the agency, so it's impossible to pinpoint just one accomplishment to define his legacy. However, his dedication to broadening the American story by expanding both who is represented and who has access to it sets him apart. Throughout his career, Stanton worked to increase the number and variety of sites associated with the civil rights movement, making possible the designation of 12 new national historic landmarks as well as the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument. This work laid the groundwork for an even more inclusive set of sites to be designated, including the Stonewall National Monument. Stanton also improved park outreach, securing funding to provide young people greater access to the national park system and initiating programs like the Cultural Resource Diversity Internship, which emphasizes the diversity of the constituencies that the NPS serves. He has always been an advocate for preservation, continuing his efforts today through service in the advisory council on historic preservation, but even greater than his accomplishments is the legacy of his leadership. Robert Stanton has been an eloquent and passionate voice for the cultural heritage held in national parks and for its stewards. He has inspired us to continue the work of saving the places that matter to all Americans. It's now my honor to present the 2017 Louise DuPont Crown and Shield Award to Robert Stanton. Bob, please join me. Good afternoon. And what an afternoon. Thank you very much, President Meeks, for that gracious introduction. Thank those who were responsible for producing the video. I stand before you, very humbled, very privileged and very honored to receive this prestigious award named in the honor of Louise DuPont Crown and Shield. I would have loved to have the opportunity to meet her. A charter member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and a leader in the noble endeavor throughout New England and indeed throughout the United States. I would hope that in some small way, in some small way, that over my life's journey, I have been able to capture her commitment, her compassion and her dedication in preserving this nation, our nation's rich and diverse cultural heritage. So again, Chairman Whalen, President Meeks, the trustees of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, ladies and gentlemen all, thank you for this great honor. Thank you very much. I bring my warmest greetings, my warmest greetings to the young people who are with us on this special occasion. Your presence here today honor us. And when I say young, my son said, Bob, if you refer to anyone, it's understood that they're younger than you. Oh, you find that funny. But I do want to commend the young people who are with us because there is a great opportunity and great challenge ahead, but I sense that you are prepared to meet that. I also want to bring two of your greetings on behalf of Chairman Wayne Donaldson, Chairman of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. A number of my fellow council members are here, along with the staff, as well as the leadership of the Advisory Council Foundation. So we bring your greetings. But also take some liberties here, having spent almost four decades with our beloved National Park Service. I'm taking the liberty, although I am without portfolio, to bring your greetings on behalf of the men and women of the National Park Service. Join me. Truly, I am indebted to so many, who again, who have generously helped me on my life's journey. But publicly, I would submit that I owe my deepest gratitude, my utmost appreciation to one who has been with me on that journey. Not in front of me, not behind me, but shoulder to shoulder. In the high times and in the low times, she has given me counsel, support, encouragement, and advice. Advice solicited, and advice not solicited. I think of another than my wife, Janet. As each of you know, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation was authorized as a part of the Historic Preservation Act of 1966. And the purpose of the Advisory Council, Council simply is this, is to encourage the broadest participation of all Americans in this noble endeavor, recognizing the importance of historic preservation to our economic, to our educational, and values for cultural recognition and understanding in these United States. You perhaps know us best for your compliance with the 106 requirement. I hope that the Advisory Council we have given you relative to that has always been helpful. I'm sure it has been. But I also want to salute those of you who continue to be in the venue on a day-to-day basis, again addressing the critical needs of historic preservation. I was very pleased to hear President Meeks mention the status of the debate on possible changes to the tax incentive measures in the House of the Senate, I mean in the House and in the Senate. I'm optimistic that it will pass. None of the tenacity on the part of Stephanie and her counterpart with the Council, Wayne Donaldson. Last year, last March, the Advisory Council published a report it's entitled the National Historic Preservation Program at 50, Priorities and Recommendations for the Future. I highly recommend this report to you and you can access it on our major website ACHP.gov. I believe that you will find this report useful. It's set forth some considerations. I think that if adopted, it will strengthen our resolve to have a more vibrant historic preservation program in the future. The Historic Preservation Act, as you know, grew out of a report filed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors in 1966 that spoke to our collective heritage as a heritage so rich. And it almost produced the exact language that is contained in the Historic Preservation Act. So we owe the Council of Mayors a great deal of applause for their efforts. I am also thankful that President Meeks, Chairman Whalen have appointed yours truly to the newly established Action Fund that will give more recognition, more support to our collective heritage as experienced by the African-Americans who have toiled on these lands, first as African then as African-American for over 400 years. I am honored, Stephanie, to be a part of that and I am confident that through the kind of support that you receive from the inaugural funders that that report, that fund, pardon me, will be very, very productive in meeting the needs of preserving those places associated with African-American. We all should remain optimistic in the face of challenges. I think the tax measure will be improved. We're certainly not concerned with budget shortfalls, adaptation to climate change, responding to natural disasters, responding in such a fashion that President Meeks mentioned in Puerto Rico. But I believe, but I believe one of the greatest challenges that we face, one of the greatest challenges that we face is a question of will, a question of being honest in our recognition that the full face of a man is not represented in the historic preservation movement, nor is the full richness and diversity of our history reflected in those tangible and intangible resources that are currently preserved in community. We are a nation of over 300 million citizens, still growing, still becoming more diverse, or yet that full face is not represented. Work and more work has to be done. But I've been able to observe on the part of your organizations, on the part of the council, that a lot of work has been done. And I applaud you to improve broader participation in historic preservation movement. It is interesting to note, if you were to take a look at the increase of areas over the past 50 years, that'd give us hope for the future. Witness, if you will, areas added to the national registry of historic places. Preserve America communities. Take a look as an example, newly established national historic landmark. Additions to your national park system. 50 years ago, there were 236 areas in the national park system. Today, there are 417. Again, many of the areas in the national parks, your national park system, three fourth of them, says something about our human history. And obviously, more will be added. And within that grouping of parks, are those that speak to our cherished accomplishment as a nation and as a people. However, there are also areas that speak to some of the more difficult and challenging times in our history. And with those areas coming into the system, I liken that to our maturing as a people and a nation. A mature person or persons can recognize their mistakes and hopefully be encouraged or inspired not to repeat. On our journey towards a more perfect union, we have stumbled. We have erred. We have excluded, fellow Americans, by design of not being included in that beautiful pronoun, the very first pronoun in the preamble to the Constitution of the United States. We, by design, we excluded. So we have places like Manzanar, Selma to Montgomery, Trail of Tears, Brown versus Board of Education, Pullman, Stonewall, Little Rock Central High School, Sand Creek Massacre, Battle of Little Bighorn, Port Chicago on the shores of California. The outstanding historian and scholar, Dr. John Hope Franklin reminded us that we now know, we now know that those places that commemorate or otherwise preserve these sad chapters in our history are not places in which we should allow ourselves to wallow in remorse, but rather be moved to a high resolve to become better citizens. That's the bottom line. Are we better citizens? And certainly within our national park system, as with the case of some of the areas administered by the trust, we recognize the courageous leadership of some of the more prominent leaders trying to include all of us in the we. And just to name a few, Booker T. Washington, Charles Young, Frederick Douglass, Carter G. Woodson, Harry Tutman, Cesar Chavez, Eleanor Roosevelt, the women's in the women's right suffrage movement, the Tuskegee Arama. Because you just imagine that we felt up until 1948 that we would have to fight wars, but we could not fight together. We were segregated. Can you believe that? Yeah, we did that to ourselves. Each of these places and people is a piece of the grand mosaic of American history and culture. The struggle and triumphs of these Americans and the importance of these places and even combined to create a story of our rich and diverse heritage is the real thing in real time and real places. That's what makes your mission, our mission, so important and so passionate. We indeed learn lessons best at the places where they actually happen, where they actually happen. One of our greatest accomplishments, it seems to me, is that we have come to recognize that our legacy is about learning and teaching, helping our children find a better place because you and I have been here. We have made our contributions. Again, we want to contribute to each of us becoming better citizens. Coming to Chicago, I am compelled to recall the leadership of one of the most visionary and courageous leaders. Hold on, I'm not talking about him. I'll get to President Obama later, OK? I'm talking about the honorable Harold Ickes. Harold Ickes. Although born in Pennsylvania, he moved to Illinois to do his undergraduate degree at the University of Chicago and stayed there and earned his degree as a lawyer. He stayed after graduating from the University of Chicago here in this beautiful city and beginning to practice law. But he was also the president of the Chicago chapter of the NAACP. He was asked by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to come to Washington to head up the Department of the Interior, Harold Ickes. He was a man, perhaps, before his time. When Mary Ann Allison was refused the opportunity to perform in 1939 at Constitution Hall in Washington, he approved her singing from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. When there was a major reorganization of the executive branch, he supported it. And when President Roosevelt signed the Act, Reorganization Act of 1933, all the Civil War sites, Revolutionary War sites, War of 1812, Statue of Liberty, all the National Monuments Memorials in Washington DC became under the jurisdiction of the Department of Interior and the National Park Service. And in 1945, 1945, 19 years before the Civil Rights Act in 1964, he issued a circulatory order that all facilities in the national parks would be accessible to all people, regardless of race, creed, national origin 45 years ago. And he called, as you might imagine, holy what, from those owners of properties right outside the park that had the signs for color for white. But he said, I will do this. And he did it. He did it. Harold Ickes. As I moved towards closure, Stephen is asked I reflect on a couple of the experiences that anchored me in historic preservation. And I sense that we all have had experiences that have touched us intellectually and emotionally in terms of really understanding that historic preservation doesn't happen just because we want to. Historic preservation, by definition, equates to hard work. In my first superintendency in the National Capital Region in 1970, I had the opportunity to become associated with two parks of two great Americans. Their legacies continue to inspire me today. Congress in 1960 passed legislation signed into law by President Eisenhower, authorized in the National Council of Negro Women to construct on park lands a memorial to one of this nation's greatest daughters, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune. This legislation, as with all legislation authorizing memorial monuments on park land, has a sunset date. And this legislation said that it is revoked within a period of five years. And this was in the midst of the civil rights movement and the council was having difficulty in raising funds for the planning, design, and construction memorials. So the legislation lapped. But the National Council on the Leadership of Dr. Hyde did not give up. Did not give up. The legislation had to be extended not two times, but three times, but four times. Dr. Hyde never lost an eye on the prize, even though funds were being used to bail out students, Dr. King and others, who were being jailed during the Hyde Civil Rights Movement. She never gave up. That memorial was dedicated in 1974. It is not only in the nation's capital the first memorial to an African-American, but the first memorial to any woman in our nation's capital, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune. Then there's the home of President Douglas. And in President Meeks' book, recent book, she spoke about the ladies who moved toward saving the estate of President George Washington, Mount Vernon. There was a similar journey on the part of Mr. Douglas' second wife, Helen Fitz-Douglass. Charlotte left his death in 1895. She established the Frederick Douglas Memorial and Historical Association. She acquired all of the interest in the property 14 acres in the home from Mr. Douglas' children of his first marriage and founded the Frederick Douglas Memorial Historical Association and transferred power to this organization in hope that they would be able to keep it up, allow visitors to come. But then we're confronted with World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, the Korean conflict. But the ladies, principally, there were a few men. They kept the home. They kept the home. And to the extent possible, they kept it open to the public. And then in 19, in the 60s, they sought through the leadership of Senator Hart from Michigan, Charles Dick from Michigan, work with Director Hart's, pardon me, I work with Director Cunningworth, Stuart Udall and others. Congress in active legislation signed into law by President Kennedy on October, pardon me, on September 5, 1962, authorized in the Frederick Douglas' home as a unit of the National Park System. One of our great historians commented about the home and his exact expression, marvelous preservation, Dr. Benjamin Qualls. Lastly, let me share with you and leave this for some thoughts. All of us experienced special moments ticked out in the context of observances, birthdays, commemoration of special events. And all of us are moved by those, those that are part of the family, birthdays, who want to have you. And among some of the moving experiences I've had is to participate in the Veteran's Day in Memorial Day service at the Vietnam Veteran Memorial. Because those 8,000 names on that wall are my contemporaries, very moving to be there. And then naturalization services are always moving. When that is concluded, there is a new citizen who embraces all of our history. They are Americans. And you cannot be selective about what part of the history you are assuming as a new citizen. So when I see a new citizen sworn in, they hopefully have an understanding and appreciation of the Latino heritage, the Asian America, Native America, and African America. That's very moving. But last year, I had the opportunity at the invitation of Congressman Clyburn to attend a ceremony in Emancipation Hall in the new visitor center. And this was an occasion to commemorate something that occurred 150 years ago. And as each of the participants spoke about that important occasion, I reflected, as many of those in the audience reflected, on that occurrence. And yes, most, if not all, in that audience trembled. There was not a dry eye in the house. And I thought about the participation of the bipartisan leadership of both the house. And listen, it was something beautiful to behold. And each of them spoke about that event that occurred 150 years ago. And I thought to myself, how glorious, wonderful, even perhaps how godly it would have been if the purpose of that commemoration was reflected in the body of a document that became effective in 1788. And if not in the body, at least perhaps it would have been the First Amendment. At least it would have been First Amendment. This was not to be. This was not to be. So we continued to witness the suffering and the inhumanity of fellow human beings for another 78 years. And then the walk. And then the walk. 600,000 young souls lost because those words were not included 78 years before. And five months after the surrender of Lee to General Grant, five months after, those simple but very profound 43 words included as an amendment to a document that became effective in 1788. The words simply are these. Neither slavery, nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime, where the party shall be and have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States or any place subject to jurisdiction. Congress has the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. Would not it have been godly if those words were included or sentenced there in 1788? Three of my favorite presidential speeches are remarks. This is President Lincoln's second inaugural address, encouraging us to bind up the nation's wounds. The other is often referred to, I shall overcome, speech. Given in 1965, before he joined Congress by Linda Mayne Johnson in five months after delivering that speech, Congress enacted the 1965 Voting Rights Act, following Bloody Sunday on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. And the other most steering speech was given on that day in the Emancipation Hall, commemorating the 100th and fifth anniversary of the 13th minute, given by President Obama. And let me just share you some of his sentiments verbatim. The long arch of progress is never assured, never guaranteed, but always possible, always there to be earned, no matter how we stick to uncharted courses, no matter how divided or despairing we may appear. Progress, so long as we're willing to push for it, so long we're willing to reach for each other, will be achieved. We will do a disservice to those warriors of justice, Truman, Tumen, Tubman, I'm sorry, and Douglas, and Lincoln, and King. We betray the efforts of the past if we fail to push back against bigotry in all its form. But we betray our most noble past as well if we were to deny the possibility of movement, the possibility of progress. All it requires is that our generation be willing to do what those who came before us have done, to hold fast to our value, to see ourselves in each other, to cherish dignity, and certainly the respect for each other. Regardless of what they look like or where they come from or what their last name is, what faith they practice, to be honorable alike in what we give and what we preserve. And President Obama talked further about the richness of this nation, the ultimate richness, our ROU. Always be attentive to the needs to contribute to that development. And certainly those of us in the preservation have a continuing commitment to provide opportunities for the development of our young people, the whole program of the trust and example, the youth intern program with the National Council of Historic Preservation and others. Continue in our efforts to meet the needs of our young people, our greatest treasure, our greatest wealth. And I would applaud and encourage you to continue to engage our young people throughout the breadth of historic preservation. In closing again, I want to salute each of you, not only staff, board members, funders, but 1,000 and 1,000 volunteers for your tireless efforts in preserving our collective heritage. As I pointed out earlier, Mr. Douglas has an impact on me. Mr. Douglas and I, if you will, met the National Park Service in the same year. My introduction was through employment as a seasonal ranger in Grand Teton. And Mr. Douglas's legacy commemorated as a unit of the National Park System. He would remind us that all progress is born of very struggle. And if there is no progress, there is no struggle, there is no progress. I would ask each of you to stay in the struggle for preservation. But the young president who made my appointment possible through the leadership of Secretary Stude Udall, the same president that signed the legislation of the Douglas We celebrate his 100th birthday this year. And thanks to the leadership of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, the delegate in Washington, DC, and through the bipartisan leadership of both the House and the Senate, the president on November 2 signed into law a program called the Fitted Douglas Bicentennial Commission. So during calendar year 2018 as a nation, we will celebrate this remarkable American life. His contributions, his legacies are enduring, Fitted Douglas. But that young president, John F. Kennedy, had you individually and collectively in mind. When he made the observation, I am certain, I am certain that when the dust of centuries has passed over our cities, we too will be remembered, not for our victories or defeats in battles or in politics, but rather for the contributions to the human spirit. Thank you for your contributions. My spirits are high. Please stay in the struggle in preserving our collective and rich cultural heritage. Congratulations. Thank you again. Well, thank you, Bob. And congratulations again. We owe you so much as a country. And it's our deep pleasure and honor today to be able to recognize and salute your many, many contributions. And now I want to call to the stage another friend of the National Trust and one to whom we also owe a great deal of gratitude. Richard Brown is the Vice President of Philanthropy at the American Express Foundation and is responsible for the company's global giving to historic preservation and its leadership program. As many of you here know, American Express is the National Trust's longest and most important corporate partner. They've been a founding presenting partner of our National Treasures Program, and we've worked with them on any number of different initiatives over the years, including the Aspire Award that you saw earlier today, the Save America's Treasures Program, and Partners in Preservation. In fact, we just concluded Partners in Preservation Main Streets, which awarded more than $2 million in grants to Main Streets across the country and just generated a great deal of publicity. It was a real success. Since we began the Partners in Preservation Program with American Express in 2006, together we've distributed more than $19 million in support to more than 200 historic sites across the country. We're so pleased that Richard Brown could be with us here today. And Richard, just let me say thank you for your partnership and all the ways that American Express supports the work of the National Trust and preservation worldwide. Thank you, Stephanie, for the introduction and congratulations to Nicole and to Robert on your incredible achievements. Really, thank you very much. It has been an honor to partner with the National Trust for historic preservation on many impactful initiatives over the years. American Express has a long history of helping communities thrive through the power of preservation. Over the past two decades, we have donated more than $60 million in support of over 500 preservation projects across the globe. We believe historic places or emblems of our shared history compelling us to recall moments that have collectively created us, shaken us, and united us. Through the vigor of local communities, preservationists like you and organizations like the National Trust, we have been able to help millions of individuals discover their history and find common ground. Thank you to everyone in this room who has fought every day to guarantee that the past is never forgotten. And I forgot to put my glasses on, so I better do that. And preservationists terms, our relationships with the trust might seem young, but over the past decade, our impact has been extraordinary and as just mentioned, $19 million over that period. Pretty phenomenal amount of money from an organization from American Express. The crowning jewel of our relationship with the trust has been our 11 year long partners in preservation program which Stephanie just previously mentioned. This public engagement campaign invites community members to vote for their favorite local historic sites to receive preservation funding and sharing their continued vitality and relevancy. For this year's campaign, we brought partners and preservations to local main streets across the country. From Boston to Birmingham, over five weeks, historic sites on 25 US main streets vied for $2 million in American Express funding as decided by popular vote on nationalgeographic.com. To further introduce you to this effort, I would like to play a brief video featuring our partners and preservation spokesperson, Mike Wolf, star of the History Channel show, American Pickers. Please take a look. Hi, I'm Mike from American Pickers on the History Channel. I'm excited to announce that this year, I've partnered with the National Trust for Historic Preservation for Partners in Preservation Main Streets, a campaign created with American Express. Partners in Preservation is bringing together 25 sites in need of preservation from around the country. All vying for part of $2 million in grant funds. Partners in Preservation invites the public to vote for their favorite main street at voteyourmainstreet.org through October 31st to help preserve these historic structures. You can vote once a day for up to five preservation projects and we invite you to spread the word. Main Street is the heartbeat of any community and when we protect these spaces, we're not only preserving our history, but history for future generations. This year, we hope you join Partners in Preservation to vote your main street. I'll see you out there, America. With your help, thank you. With your help, we picked 11 winning sites, garnered over 900,000 votes and earned more than 500 news articles and broadcast mentions. These results prove that public enthusiasm for historic preservation is alive and thriving. So why Main Street? More than three quarters of Americans say that preserving it is important and four out of five of us say that it contributes to the well-being and enjoyment of a community. In addition, we also consider these commercial districts to be a significant driver of local economies. Four out of five of us say it's important to the neighborhood's economic success. Two thirds of those identifying as managers at small businesses say that preservation plays a factor in the success of small businesses in the area. And of course, millennials think historically restored restaurants and bars are a cool place to hang out. Simply put, when we support our local historic sites and Main Streets, we drive development, preserve character, attract visitors, and propel commerce. American Express has realized this for decades, demonstrating an unwavering passion for our nation's Main Streets and businesses that serve them. In 2010, our commitment to small businesses and Main Street came to life through the creation of Small Business Saturday, a response to small business owners' most pressing need, more loyal customers. Falling between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it is a day to support the local businesses that create jobs, boost the economy, and preserve neighborhoods around the country. Today, Small Business Saturday has become nationally celebrated event with support from thousands of small businesses and 112 million consumers, all driving billions of dollars in commerce across our country's Main Streets. Historic preservation and the small, the shop small movement are cornerstones of American Express's longstanding commitment to serving communities around the world. Partners in Preservation Main Street aligns these two commitments perfectly, creating a broad-scale awareness of the connection between historic preservation and our country's thriving commercial corridors. Even though this year's campaign is over, we encourage you to continue advocating for your favorite Main Street every day by shopping small at locally-owned businesses, sharing the history of your Main Street with visitors and residents alike. Together, let's show everyone how incredible the power of Main Streets in preservation can truly be. Now to wrap up this year's Pass Forward Conference to provide a preview of what's to come, please join me in welcoming Mrs. Meeks back to the stage. Thank you. Thanks, Richard. I thought you were gonna share some news there. I was excited. Preview. Stay tuned. Well, thank you. Thanks, Richard. And thanks to all of our friends at American Express. And thanks to all of you for being here. I feel just a great sense of energy and renewal coming out of this Pass Forward Conference. And I have to say as I look forward to Thanksgiving, I'm reminded how grateful I am to have such meaningful work to do and such wonderful people to do it with. Thank you all, safe travels, and my best wishes for a great year.