CONTACT:Bess Averett, Executive Director

Friends of VNMP & Campaign, 601-831-6896,

VICKSBURG NATIONAL MILITARY PARK CELEBRATES NATIONAL PARK SERVICE 100TH BIRTHDAY WITH RECEPTION AND CALL TO SERVE

Vicksburg, Miss., Tuesday, August 9, 2016 – On Thursday, August 25, 2016, the National Park Service turns 100 years old! Everyone is invited to celebrate the centennial by visiting one of 400 NPS sites and #FindYourPark! All entry fees will be waived for this special celebration. Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park and Campaign will partner with the Vicksburg National Military Park to host a special birthday reception from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Visitor Center on Thursday, August 25. Please stop by for free refreshments and to meet people just like you that are helping to preserve your National Parks.

The nation-wide Centennial Celebration recognizes 100 years of caring for America’s special places and continuing the tradition of dedication for the next 100 years. This is a great opportunity to become an important member of this team by becoming a National Park Service Volunteer. We are encouraging the community to #FindYourPark, and join our growing Volunteer Corps. Vicksburg National Military Park has always depended on the dedicated service of volunteers for special work days and special preservation projects. To celebrate the centennial, the Vicksburg National Military Park is striving to create more opportunities to serve and connect the park we love to the community. OurSuperintendent, Bill Justice, and new Centennial Volunteer Coordinator, Molly Cadwell, will be on hand during the reception to share the exciting opportunities andsign up perspective volunteers for the new program!

If you have a passion for your community and your National Military Park, this is a great opportunity to share our story with visitors from all over the world! We are looking for volunteers that would excel in positions that greet and interact with the hundreds of thousands of visitors our park welcomes each year. To begin the new program, we are looking for volunteers interested in working at the information desk alongside rangers at the Visitor Center or the Cairo Museum. Training will be provided and volunteers can work as often as they want or as little as twice a month. By spring, the program will expand to include volunteer teams interested in special projects such as trail clearing, restoration projects, landscaping, and much more. If you have a desire to serve, come talk to us or contact us and #FindYourPark at Vicksburg National Military Park.

For more information, you can contact Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park and Campaign at 601-456-0804 or visit or contact Molly Cadwell at 601-831-1872.

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