First Freedom Center Lobby To Bear Gumenick Name

RICHMOND, Va. (September 21, 2004) –The First Freedom Center Campaign has received its largest gift to date to build what will be the premier religious freedom educational institution in the world. Gumenick family members, Jerome Gumenick and his sons Jeffrey and Randy, have pledged $750,000 to the First Freedom Center Campaign.

"We are delighted to see such strong leadership in the Richmond philanthropic community" said Tommy Baer, president of the Council for America’s First Freedom, sponsor of the First Freedom Center. "This gift is another sign that Richmond is committed to continuing its legacy of religious freedom. This Center will serve as a beacon to the world of all America stands for as it educates and inspires people at home and abroad about the importance of religious liberty."

Jerome Gumenick serves on the Council for America’s First Freedom Richmond Campaign Leadership Council, and has been active in his support of the project. "I am continuing my family’s tradition of endowing America’s future by investing in education," said Gumenick. "This is an important project," he continued. "Freedom of religion is one of the cornerstones of American democracy, but of all the rights guaranteed in the First Amendment it is the least understood. I am hoping that this gift will help to bridge that educational gap."

The lobby in the First Freedom Center will bear the Gumenick name. Family patriarch Jerome Gumenick is the Chairman of Gumenick Properties and the honorary vice president of the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond. Gumenick Properties was founded in the early 1940s, and has since become one of the most successful developers in Virginia and Florida, and a great asset to the philanthropic community. The Gumenick family has given generously to schools, hospitals, educational and religious organizations, including the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and Virginia Commonwealth University’s Medical College of Virginia in Richmond.

The Council for America’s First Freedom is currently scheduled to break ground on the First Freedom Center in 2005. For more information on the First Freedom Center, please contact Laura Baliles, Communications Director at (804) 643-1786 or at lbaliles@firstfreedom.org.

About the Council:
The Council for America’s First Freedom (CAFF) is a non-denominational, non-political, non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization based in Richmond, Va. Established in 1984, CAFF’s mission is to champion religious freedom worldwide through education and to strengthen appreciation for America’s protection of this fundamental human right. Currently, CAFF is developing the First Freedom Center, a world-class facility that will offer a dynamic visitor experience with state-of-the-art, interactive exhibits exploring the development of religious freedom in America, and today’s related national and international issues. The Center will be the first of its kind anywhere in the world. In addition, CAFF sponsors the following annual initiatives: Presidential Proclamation of National Religious Freedom Day (January); First Freedom Awards; and America’s First Freedom Student Competition. For more information, please visit www.firstfreedom.org.

About the First Freedom Center:
The First Freedom Center will be a dynamic and international cultural attraction to inform, educate and inspire people worldwide about religious liberty. The Center, scheduled to open in 2007 on the historic site of the former State Capitol of Virginia where Thomas Jefferson’s Statute for Religious Freedom was adopted in 1786, will be the premier religious freedom education center in the world.