Former New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean
(HACKENSACK, NJ) -- Former New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean is the latest in a growing list of leaders and organizations to endorse the North Jersey National Heritage Area project. This initiative of the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation (NNJCF) is designed to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in economic impact, produce millions in new tax revenue, attract hundreds of thousands of dollars in new federal funding, and support hundreds of jobs in New Jersey through cultural heritage tourism.
"The North Jersey National Heritage Area initiative will demonstrate why the region is a special place, with a distinct history and personality," said Former Governor Kean. "It will also highlight North Jersey's distinct environmental, cultural and historic sites and places, which will support arts and heritage organizations and small businesses."
The North Jersey National Heritage Area (NJNHA) initiative highlights the area's history in at least four areas: innovation and industry, suburbia and planned communities, transportation and infrastructure, and immigration and migration. The NJNHA currently covers six counties: Bergen, Hudson, Essex, Union, Morris and Passaic.
Other leaders and organizations expressing support for the initiative include U.S. Representative Thomas Kean, Jr., New Jersey State Assembly members Clinton Calabrese and Shama Haider, New Jersey State Senator Britnee Timberlake, The Union County Board of Commissioners, New Jersey Preservation Alliance, Housing and Neighborhood Development Services Inc. (HANDS Inc.), Fairleigh Dickinson University, Ramapo College of New Jersey, Hudson County Community College, Orange Historic Commission, LISC New Jersey, West Orange Arts Council, Union Township Historical Society/Caldwell Parsonage, Durand-Hedden House & Garden, Historic Radburn, New Jersey Studies Academic Alliance, and dozens of others.
National Heritage Area Designation -Â A National Heritage Area (NHA) is a federal designation that recognizes a place "where historic, cultural, and natural resources combine to form cohesive, nationally important landscapes," according to the Nation Park Service. The place can be as small as a city neighborhood or as large as a multi-state region. The designation makes the place eligible for up to $1 million in federal funding per year.
"Historians, anthropologists and others are familiar with North Jersey as a cradle of innovation, a hub of international trade, and one of the most diverse and vibrant regions in the United States," Former Governor Kean said. "Designating the region as a National Heritage Area will help the public understand better what makes this area special."
Every National Heritage Area is led by a Coordinating Entity, which works with partners to help promote the NHA region through marketing and signage and develop programs, events, public art and other activities that highlight the themes covered by the designation. For example, Crossroads of the American Revolution is the Coordinating Entity for a National Heritage Area in New Jersey that focuses on the state's distinct role in the American Revolution.
The partnerships and the federal recognition helped Crossroads of the American Revolution generate more than $166 million in economic impact and more than $10 million in tax revenue. The area also attracts about 900,000 visitors to Revolutionary War sites and supports more than 1,700 jobs, according to a 2012 study by TrippUmbach.
Foundation to Coordinate North Jersey NHA -Â The Northern New Jersey Community Foundation is taking a leading role in this effort, serving as the official "Coordinating Entity" for the North Jersey NHA. The NNJCF pledges to distribute a large portion of the federal funding as grants to nonprofit organizations or local governments in the region. The Foundation will also coordinate with dozens of partners on strategies to encourage more people to visit culturally and environmentally significant places in North Jersey.
NNJCF Executive Director Leonardo Vazquez is particularly excited about the North Jersey NHA's potential to help smaller communities often overlooked by other destination marketing efforts. "This designation can help bring more dollars into communities like East Orange, Passaic, or Belleville," said Vazquez, who is directing this initiative on behalf of the Foundation. "This will help small businesses and also create new business and employment opportunities for residents in these communities.
"All North Jersey communities can benefit," Vazquez said. "The North Jersey NHA will make more people want to travel around North Jersey to enjoy our exceptional restaurants, parks, open spaces, cultural programs, historic sites, and more. The area will also attract and keep more dollars in North Jersey, support many nonprofit cultural and heritage organizations, and make North Jersey an even better place to live, work and thrive."
Founded in 1998, The Northern New Jersey Community Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 organization based in Hackensack, New Jersey, works with local governments, school districts, businesses, non-profit organizations, and citizen groups to improve community life. Through collaborative partnerships, regional problems are identified and resolved. Opportunities are discovered and explored by talking and learning from each other and sharing ideas, best practices, services, and resources. The Foundation works to grow more creative and inspiring places, greener and healthier places, and more places of belonging and opportunity.
