Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Monday that the country will donate $3 million to help build a visitor center near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall.
Gillard, who is in the United States to meet with President Barack Obama, made the announcement on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
The education center is an initiative of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF). Jan Scruggs, the VVMF’s founder and president, told the Associated Press that he expects Australia’s gift to spur other donations for The Education Center at The Wall. About $26 million out of an estimated $85 million needed for the project had been raised before the Monday announcement.
