FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information

(269) 684-8121 or 683-4540

NILES, Mich., Jan. 22, 2007 – The Old Rugged Cross Foundation (ORCF) will not receive a grant in 2007 from the federally-funded Save America's Treasures (SAT) grant program. Only one Michigan grant applicant, Henry Ford’s home (Fair Lane) in Dearborn, was among 42 projects recently approved to receive a total of $7.5 million in 2007 SAT grants.

SAT grants support preservation and/or conservation work on nationally significant intellectual and cultural artifacts. They also assist nationally significant historic structures and sites such as The Original Old Rugged Cross Church in Pokagon, Mich.

"We hoped that our $300,000 SAT grant application would be approved, so this is a disappointment. However, we still plan to move forward with restoration work on the historic church in the spring," said Dr. Melchizedek Ponniah, chairman of the ORCF Board of Directors. "We can do several activities now, while we work toward securing enough funding to complete the restoration."

Dr. Ponniah said the ORCF plans to do approximately $50,000-worth of work on the historic building in the spring of 2007. The group plans to replace the church's long-missing bell tower, improve visitor access, and install new siding on one exterior wall. These investments will not be "lost" during later restoration activities.

“The SAT grant process is highly competitive. The amount of funding available for grants this time around was much less than in the past,” he said. "We are taking a look at whether and when to apply again.

"For our 2006 grant application, we identified several businesses willing to provide in-kind services to help us 'make the match' for a SAT grant," Dr. Ponniah said. "We will ask them what support they can provide without the grant. We also will contact corporations and foundations for financial support. We encourage churches, civic and social organizations to sponsor fund raising events to give us an additional hand. This is the time for anyone who wants to help, to step forward and make a financial commitment.

"So many people already have made a commitment," he said. "We are incredibly grateful to all of our supporters. Since efforts to restore the church began more than eight years ago, we have received more than $350,000 in donations. We used a substantial portion of that to replace the crumbling foundation with the temporary concrete piers and to install the temporary roof. We also replaced deteriorated sill beams, braced the structure in preparation for other work, and did other major repairs and restoration efforts.

"It is mostly individual donors who so far have dipped into their purses, pockets and wallets to help save this historic building from imminent collapse and prepare it for restoration," Ponniah said. "Their monetary donations were supplemented by the physical work, resources and materials others donated.

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"The $50,000 we will spend in the spring will not go far toward completing the approximately $1.9 million of work in the entire restoration," Ponniah said. "But we must honor our supporters' generosity by doing as much as we can now. The work planned for the spring, however, is all of the work that it makes sense to do until we secure enough funding to do the entire next phase. That phase of restoration, which includes building a new foundation and a lower level community meeting room, will require about $200,000 beyond what will be invested in the spring.

"And let's be blunt," Ponniah said. "We do not have $200,000 more at this time. Continued progress on the restoration beyond that spring work is literally in our supporters' hands."

Ponniah said the ORCF will continue its established fund raising events, but, "we also recognize the need to reach out to a larger audience.

"The Old Rugged Cross Historic Site is listed in the National Register of Historic Places at the national level of historic significance," he said. "The Old Rugged Cross Historic Site is not a Cass County thing, or a Michiana thing, or even a Michigan thing. We will continue working to achieve the national awareness and support this site deserves."

The Original Old Rugged Cross Church is where the hymn, "The Old Rugged Cross," was sung publicly in its entirety for the first time after the composer completed it, in 1913. The ORCF is working to restore the church as closely as possible to its 1913 appearance. The restored structure will serve as a museum and community meeting center for special, scheduled events such as weddings, funerals and meetings.

The Old Rugged Cross Historic Site is one block south of Pokagon Highway in Pokagon, just east of Highway M-51, halfway between Niles and Dowagiac. The site includes the church and the half-acre Old Rugged Cross Memorial Garden.

Financial support can be sent to The Old Rugged Cross Foundation at P.O. Box 41, Niles, MI 49120. One-time gifts and installment pledges are welcome. The Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

Please call 269-683-4540 for additional information about The Old Rugged Cross Historic Site or to discuss how you or your organization can help fund progress at the site. The e-mail address is orcf@aol.com. Information about the Old Rugged Cross Historic Site is on the Internet at

www.the-oldruggedcross.org.

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The Old Rugged Cross Foundation, Inc.
PO Box 41, Niles, MI 49120
Phone: 269-683-4540 Fax: 269-683-4315
E-Mail: ORCF@aol.com
Websites: http://www.theoldruggedcrossfoundation.org
http://www.the-oldruggedcross.org