Grant Supports a National System of Community Trails

The Coca-Cola Foundation today announced a $300,000 grant to the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) to create a nationwide network of walking and biking trails using former rail lines that will support more than 1.9 million people in the Washington DC, Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles and New Orleans communities.

This grant builds upon previous funding support from the Company, which expanded trails in numerous other communities, including the Silver Comet Trail in Georgia and the Chief Ladiga Trail in Alabama. The Georgia-Alabama trails will be commemorated Saturday, September 27, 2008, when they are joined to become the longest paved trail in the United States.

“Coca-Cola is committed to helping ensure the vitality of our communities,” said Ingrid Saunders Jones, chair of The Coca-Cola Foundation. “This grant is an expression of our commitment to the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s goal of creating trails that place 90 percent of Americans within three miles of a safe and healthy community trail system.”

Through the awarding of the $300,000 grant, the RTC will provide expertise and pass-through grants to several trail organizations, specifically:

• Five grants totaling $50,000 for community grants supporting the operations of trail organizations in Washington, DC; Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, and New Orleans;
• Three grants totaling $150,000 for specific rail-to-trail development, expansion and enhancement projects in Washington, DC (including the Metropolitan Branch Trail), Chicago and New York City.

• Additionally, $100,000 will support RTC’s technical initiative, which includes the Mapping Initiative and Guidebook Series, which provides the public with information on the nation’s trail systems.

“Creating healthier places for healthier people requires the support of concerned corporate citizens, like Coca-Cola,” said Keith Laughlin, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy president. “We have already seen great successes with trail connections across the nation and cannot wait to see what wonderful things this next grant will do for America’s rail-trail network.”

In 2005, Coca-Cola donated $500,000 to the RTC to develop and expand trails across the country, like the Silver Comet and Chief Ladiga trails.