National Mounted Warfare Foundation receives a $1,000,000 gift

Special to Leader-Press

The National Mounted Warfare Foundation (NMWF) announced on Tuesday that it has received a $1,000,000 gift from a local family to help fund the construction of the National Mounted Warrior Museum, bringing the project to 80 percent of its total capital campaign goal. 
The family has asked to remain anonymous for now, but hopes that this gift will encourage others to contribute to help close out the capital campaign.
The NMWF is a nonprofit organization tasked with planning, designing, fundraising for, building, and operating a state-of-the-art, technologically advanced  21st Century museum, the National Mounted Warrior Museum, which will tell the untold stories of the soldiers, families, and units that have served over the years on Fort Hood.   
Lieutenant General (Retired) Paul Funk, President and CEO of the NMWF, shared about the gift. 
“We are very grateful for this gift and the dedication of these donors to the Museum project.  It demonstrates their long-standing support for our soldiers, their families, and the Central Texas community at large. We are confident their leadership and commitment will help us attract other supporters and donors to put our Capital Campaign over the top.”
Bob Crouch, NMWF Vice President, stated, “As our region’s only destination activity, the National Mounted Warrior Museum project will have a significant impact on Central Texas – by providing new educational opportunities for our area schools, by contributing to the economic development of the region, and by providing another much-needed leisure-time activity for the families in the area. Most importantly, the Museum will provide a venue to appropriately recognize and honor the service of the soldiers, veterans, family members, and community members who make Fort Hood and Central Texas the “Great Place.” This generous gift brings us to 80 percent raised of our total capital campaign goal of $36,988,177, and keeps us on track to break ground on the museum by the end of 2018.”
Phase I of the museum will be a 42,000-square-foot building including 31,000 square feet of interactive and immersive exhibits. Phase I will also include children’s discovery areas, multipurpose conference/classrooms, simulation activities, administrative spaces, military vehicle displays, and a themed playground on the Museum grounds. 
The museum will be located outside of the main gate of Fort Hood, and will be fully accessible to the public. More information about the National Mounted Warfare Foundation, the National Mounted Warrior Museum project, and how to make a donation is available at www.nmwfoundation.org.