New York Life Announces $500,000 Challenge Grant to Construct First Statue in Central Park Honoring Real Women

Caption: Left to right: Heather Nesle, president, New York Life Foundation; Coline Jenkins, vice president, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony Statue Fund and great-great granddaughter of Elizabeth Cady Stanton; Pam Elam, president, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony Statue Fund; and Rosa "Rosie" Gumataotao Rios, 43rd Treasurer of the United States.

In the 163–year history of New York’s Central Park, there has never been a statue honoring a woman – but today New York Life is aiming to change that. The company recently announced a $500,000 Challenge grant to the Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony Statue Fund Inc. to create the first–ever statue of a real woman in the park (currently Central Park’s only female statues include Mother Goose, Alice in Wonderland, Juliet, and other mythical figures).

The new statue will honor two women’s rights pioneers, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, as well as other women involved in the suffrage and abolitionist movement. Pam Elam, president of the Statue Fund, noted the momentous timing of the grant, saying, “Our statue project will honor all the women who fought for the vote and the timing is right, as we get ready to celebrate the New York State Woman Suffrage Centennial in 2017; the National Woman Suffrage Centennial in 2020; and the 200th anniversary of the birth of Susan B. Anthony in 2020. Thank you, New York Life, for helping us achieve our goal.”

As the Statue Fund looks to raise $1.5 million to complete the project, New York Life is hoping that its challenge grant will encourage others to get involved in this critical initiative – either by making a donation or honoring the momentous women in their lives via #MonumentalWomen.

To make a contribution to match the New York Life Challenge Grant, please visit the Statue Fund at www.monumentalwomen.org.