USA Today Celebrates The Nature Conservancy

This week’s edition of the paper’s “Spirit of the USA” highlights the Nature Conservancy

MCLEAN, Va., June 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — As part of USA TODAY’s
25th anniversary celebration, USA TODAY continues its “Spirit of the USA”
25- week charity program that highlights a different charity each week for
25 weeks.
The program began on March 30th and will continue every Friday through
September 14th as USA TODAY thanks America for its support over the past 25
years by saluting the nation’s generosity. USA TODAY has selected 25
charities and will celebrate the work of one charity per week for 25 weeks
both in print and online via a signature USA TODAY Snapshot as well as on a
special 25th anniversary web site on http://www.usatoday.com.
This week’s highlighted charity is The Nature Conservancy. The Nature
Conservancy is the leading conservation organization working around the
world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and
people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have
been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the
United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin
America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, as well as more than 5,000
river miles around the world.
“We are honored to be selected as one of the 25 organizations featured
during USA TODAY’S ‘Spirit of the USA’ program,” said Steve McCormick,
president and CEO of The Nature Conservancy. “This is an exciting time for
the organization — we are expanding conservation efforts on a global
scale. We work in over 30 countries, and just this year we launched a new
Africa program,” he added. “We are delighted that USA TODAY readers will
have the opportunity to learn about the Conservancy’s efforts in the U.S.
and around the world to create innovative conservation solutions that
benefit nature and enhance the well-being of people.”
Readers are encouraged to learn more about The Nature Conservancy by
viewing the Snapshot on today’s front page of USA TODAY and on
http://www.usatoday.com as well as by visiting http://www.nature.org.
Other charities scheduled to appear as part of the “Spirit of the USA”
program are: National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Ronald McDonald House
Charities, Ducks Unlimited, The Humane Society of the United States,
Goodwill Industries International, Habitat for Humanity International,
Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Hole in the Wall Camps, First Book, Gilda’s
Club, Special Olympics, VH1 Save the Music Foundation and American Red
Cross. Big Brothers Big Sisters, Thanks USA, Earth Day Network, NARSAD: The
Mental Health Research Association, American Diabetes Association, Hispanic
College Fund, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Disabled
American Veterans, the Arbor Day Foundation, America’s Second Harvest and
MusiCares were previously highlighted.
“USA TODAY wanted to find a way to give back to the nation during our
25th anniversary celebration by celebrating causes that are closest to the
hearts of Americans. We selected charities that represented a broad range
of interests including environment, health, animals, arts, education, human
services, and public benefits. We hope our readers will join us in saluting
these charities,” said Susan Lavington, senior vice president of marketing,
USA TODAY.
USA TODAY, the nation’s top-selling newspaper, will be celebrating its
25th anniversary on September 15th, 2007. It is published via satellite at
36 locations in the USA and at four sites abroad. With a total average
daily circulation of 2.3 million, USA TODAY is available worldwide. USA
TODAY is published by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI). The USA TODAY brand
also includes: USATODAY.com, an award-winning news and information Web site
that is updated 24 hours per day; USA TODAY Sports Weekly, a magazine for
enthusiasts of professional football and baseball; and USA TODAY LIVE, the
television arm of the USA TODAY brand that brings the spirit and quality of
the newspaper to television.