VALLEY FORGE, PA -- Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge announced that the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans (NESHV) in Boston was named a recipient of the 2006 George Washington Honor Medal as part of its National Awards program. Laurence D. Fitzmaurice, President and CEO of the NESHV received the medal on behalf of NESHV during an awards ceremony hosted by the Bay State Chapter of Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge on November 4th 2006 at Spinelli's Banquet Facility in East Boston, MA.

"The National Awards program is among the nation's most comprehensive of its kind, where all age groups are asked to participate and where the variety of entries received is a testimony to the different viewpoints and ideas that make our nation so great," said Aaron Siegel, President of Freedoms Foundation. "Judged by an esteem group of civic and socially minded individuals, recipients of these awards should be proud of their work, for themselves and the community."

Established in 1949 by the founders of Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, including Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the National Awards program recognizes efforts of individuals, schools, corporations and organizations that promote, through words or deeds, an understanding and appreciation of responsible citizenship and the benefits of a free society.

The National Awards program has reached more than 56,000 people. Large corporations and small business owners, farmers, elementary school students, teachers and military service personnel have been awarded by Freedoms Foundation the George Washington Honor Medal for their efforts to make America a better place.

Freedoms Foundation provides an array of educational and awards programs and derives support from nearly 3,000 volunteer members in 27 local chapters, as well as corporations, foundations and civic organizations from across the nation.

Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge is among the nation’s premier organizations devoted to citizenship-based education and the promotion of responsible citizenship.

With headquarters on an historic 85-acre campus adjacent to Valley Forge (Penn.) National Historical Park, it conducts educational programs for elementary, intermediate and high school students that focus on the balance of rights and responsibilities associated with citizenship in 21st Century America. Freedoms Foundation also conducts graduate seminars and workshops for educators that study issues relating history to today’s problems, responsible citizenship, and the benefits of the free enterprise system. Graduate programs are fully accredited by many of the nation’s major colleges and universities.

For more information on Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, visit the web site at www.freedomsfoundation.com, or contact the Foundation at 610-933-8825.