For Immediate Release
May 12, 2011		 Contact: Lisa Gough
(202) 330-4950


FRANK CAMPANARO NAMED STATE CHAIRMAN FOR EDUCATION CENTER
EFFORTS IN FLORIDA
Veteran’s Involvement with Education Center Honors His Father’s Service in Vietnam

Washington, D.C. – Frank Campanaro has been named chairman of the Florida state committee that is raising funds and awareness for the Education Center at The Wall, announced Jan C. Scruggs, founder and chairman of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF), the organization leading the effort to build the Education Center.

Campanaro, who lives in Miami, is the CEO of Trillacorpe Construction, which is headquartered in Bingham Farms, Mich., and has offices in Virginia, California, New Mexico, Mississippi and Florida. He served in U.S. Army Special Operations on active duty and received several distinguished awards for valor, including a Presidential Unit Citation.

His involvement with the Education Center at The Wall is in honor of his father, Frank Paul Campanaro Sr., who served with the U.S. Army in Vietnam in 1965-66 and died in 2000 of conditions related to his exposure to Agent Orange. Frank Campanaro Sr. was honored in April during VVMF’s In Memory Day program, which pays tribute to those who died as a result of the Vietnam War, but who don’t meet Department of Defense guidelines to have their names added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

“Frank Campanaro is dedicated to ensuring that everyone who served and sacrificed during the Vietnam War is remembered,” said Scruggs. “We are pleased that he is devoting his talents and energy to helping us in our important mission to build an Education Center that will tell the stories of these brave and dedicated individuals for generations to come.”

The Education Center at The Wall is being built near the Vietnam Veterans and Lincoln Memorials in Washington, D.C. It will be a living, interactive learning facility that will teach the values and tell the stories of those who served, show the pictures of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, showcase some of the more than 150,000 items left in tribute at The Wall and highlight America’s rich legacy of service.

As chairman of the Florida campaign, Campanaro will reach out to organizations and individuals in the state to raise awareness and support for the campaign to build the Education Center. He will also help assemble a state grassroots committee that will energize local community and veterans groups to gather photos and stories of the 1,954 Floridians whose names are on The Wall.

Frank Campanaro is a successful real estate developer and contractor with 18 years of experience. His company, Trillacorpe, is a veteran owned, operated and staffed organization that provides a range of services for the federal government and Fortune 1000 firms globally.

Campanaro was named the 75th Ranger Regiment Association’s 2010 Man of the Year and has received other honors, including: the Department of Defense Nunn-Perry Award in 2010; the U.S. Chamber of Commerce 2010 Blue Ribbon Award; the 2009 Small Business Administration’s Veteran Business Champion Award for the Midwest and Michigan; and the American Legion’s Veteran Employer of the Year Award in 2009 for a medium-sized employer.

The United States Congress passed legislation in 2003 authorizing VVMF to build the Education Center at or near The Wall. Gen. Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.) serves as the honorary chairman of the campaign, and actor Tom Selleck is the Center’s national spokesman. Approximately $85 million will be needed to build the Center, with around $30 million already raised. VVMF has received donations from corporations, organizations, veterans groups and individuals, including the lead gift from Time Warner. For information, visit www.buildthecenter.org or call 1-866-990-WALL.

Established in 1979, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., promoting healing and educating about the impact of the Vietnam War.  Authorized by Congress, its most recent initiative is building the Education Center at The Wall, an underground facility near the Memorial that is designed to add faces to all the names on The Wall and tell their stories.  Other Memorial Fund initiatives include educational programs for students and teachers, a traveling Wall replica that honors our nation's veterans and six events held each year at The Wall to honor and remember those we lost during the Vietnam War.

 

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    The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund takes our stewardship of your donations seriously. The programs we fund are designed to help us achieve our mission of preserving the legacy of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, promoting healing and educating about the impact of the Vietnam War.