Blue Ridge Parkway
|
FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway is a non-profit, volunteer organization that is dedicated to preserving, promoting and enhancing the Blue Ridge Parkway, a national treasure. FRIENDS programs focus on preservation, protection and education. FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, organized and existing under the laws of the State of North Carolina and the Commonwealth of Virginia, whose current principal business address for identification purposes is P.O. Box 20986, Roanoke, Virginia 24018. |
FRIENDS of the
|
 |
| Volunteer Join Donate Adopt-A-Trail | ||
Kelley SchoolFRIENDS DONATION AIDS NPS RESTORATION OF KELLEY SCHOOL
Gary Johnson, Chief of Resources Planning for the Blue Ridge Parkway, said of the donation, “This is an amazing response from Friends. This will help tighten up the school while we go through the planning and approval process to restore the school to a useful and enjoyable exhibition on the Parkway.” Funds for the donation were gathered primarily from members of Friends in an appeal that went out, and enough funds were gathered to donate the $6,000 to the Blue Ridge Parkway. The National Park Service plans to use the donated funds for materials and their own maintenance personnel, labor as they in the first phase of rehabilitation. Later phases may involve community and volunteer activity. Due to its importance as a historic site, and its significance as the only property with a historic educational theme on the Parkway, the Kelley School can be an attractive exhibition along a section of the Parkway with few other visitor attractions. Julia Gillespie, chairperson for Friends activities for the Kelley School, said, “just think of it! Someday we could have children and their parents stopping at the school to see how the three R’s were taught in the southern Appalachians. It’s a valuable piece of history we can’t afford to lose. And we’re not going to, thanks to all the contributions of our members!” As the story is spread, support for the project is coming from many areas. Among them, The Blue Ridge Parkway Association has pledged $1,000 and the Floyd County Board of Supervisors has officially endorsed the project. Nearby residents of the school have readily offered their time, talents and informational treasures toward the rehabilitation of the school building and the re-enactment of an educational era. FRIENDS, please follow and support the progress of this grand and challenging project. However you can contribute to its completion--by donation, by promotion, or by just telling the story--we continue to need your help. For more information, click Kelley School. |
||
| Copyright 2002 - 2009, FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway. All rights reserved. | ||
With the gift of a $6,000 check to the National Park Service, Friends helped to ensure the repair and rehabilitation of the Kelley School, a historic two-room school house built in 1924 at milepost 149 on the Parkway.