Dear Mr. President & Members of Congress:

I am writing this open letter to you to ask that the Save America's Treasures program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation be spared from budget cuts and be preserved for generations to come. The mission of Save America's Treasures is stated as follows:

Since its creation in 1998, Save America's Treasures has been the driving force in the effort to protect the places that tell our nation's story. To date, the program has supported 1,110 preservation projects in cities and towns from coast to coast, all while creating thousands of jobs and spurring further economic develop on our Main Streets.

The official projects of Save America's Treasures tell our nation's story; these projects illustrate our past and give us a foundational understanding of who we are as a people. The many projects tell the stories of the vast array of cultures that call our nation home. We must continue to preserve these places so that we will always foster cross cultural understanding; these special places are vital to educating one another and future generations. Without this continued support, in an age of shrinking state budgets; these vital places need the full support to preserve the stories that have been told already, and those yet to be told.

The Save America's Treasures Program is a needed to tell America's story. Former First Lady, Hillary Clinton, saw the need to preserve our nation's heritage sites, and inaugurated the program. Her insight was instructive and forward thinking, along with Richard Moe and Susan Eisenhower to preserve the greatness of our past. This is unfinished work, with your leadership, we can continue to preserve our past in the manner it so deserves.