ARLINGTON, Va.-NAFCU has joined numerous other sponsors, like Jeep and Walt Disney Company, in sponsoring The National Anthem Project. The National Association for Music Education (MENC) is leading the multi-year effort to re-teach Americans The Star-Spangled Banner. First Lady Laura Bush is the group's honorary chairperson. The campaign was launched in response to a recent Harris Poll that found that two-thirds of Americans do not know the words to The Star Spangled Banner and many do not know the history behind the song. The Oak Ridge Boys serve as the program's official musical ambassadors. MENC bills itself as the world's largest arts education association and the only one that addresses all facets of music education. The effort will include education initiatives in schools nationwide, special performances and alliances with professional sporting events, and an extensive mobile marketing tour stopping in cities nationwide. "Today our country is calling on our music educators to restore America's voice," MENC Executive Director John Mahlmann stated. "It is important that all Americans understand the significance of our anthem's history – how our national anthem came to be, from the poetry of Francis Scott Key to its association with a musical tune and our country's desire to adopt an official national anthem. We want to remind all Americans to cherish our national treasures and to celebrate our unity and our values in song." The re-education campaign kicked off March 10 with a live performance by hundreds of children on Capitol Hill, featuring patriotic and other tunes. NAFCU was invited to be a supporting member of the effort, but to date has not contributed financially, according to NAFCU Communications Manager Rebecca Somers. More information is available at http://www.then ationalanthemproject.org/.

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