JFK Library Foundation Launches Public Initiative to Collect Locations of Places Named for John F. Kennedy

July 27, 2017
Press contact: Matt Porter 
(617) 514-1574
matt.porter@jfklfoundation.org

JFK Library Foundation Launches Public Initiative to Collect Locations of Places Named for John F. Kennedy
– Initiative Kicks off With Scavenger Hunt –

BOSTON, MA – John F. Kennedy’s name lives on in hundreds of schools, streets, parks, and centers that memorialize him across the globe. In the centennial year of his birth, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation today announced a scavenger hunt that will kick off an online initiative to add these locations to an interactive map. The website allows anyone in the world to add places named after John F. Kennedy to the map and upload an image of the location or a picture of themselves at the location. Currently, there are more than 700 JFK-named locations and more than 200 photographs on the map.

“It’s hard to fully comprehend the impact that President Kennedy had on the world until you see the breadth of his reach in how many places continue to bear his name,” said Steven Rothstein, Executive Director of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. “This map creates a picture of a beloved leader, who struck a chord with a generation on a global scale. We are excited to have the public’s help in discovering more JFK-named locations and completing this picture.”

Beginning on July 28, 2017, the Foundation will post scavenger hunt clues describing a JFK-named location on social media platforms Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Based on the clues, participants will guess where the JFK prize box is located and visit the site to claim the prize. The first person to get to the site to claim the box will be asked to take a photo of themselves and post to at least one social media platform and tag the JFK Library and use the hashtag #JFKintheWorld. The Foundation will then announce that that location has been discovered over social media, and post clues for the next site, repeating this process until all locations have been discovered. The initial three JFK locations will be in Massachusetts. The remainder of the locations will be placed nation-wide.

The “Where in the World is JFK” map will remain online through the 2017 Centennial year and will be featured in the JFK Library’s Legacy Gallery when it is renovated next year. The effort is part of the JFK Library’s year-long centennial initiative aimed at inspiring new generations to find meaning and inspiration in the enduring values that formed the heart of the Kennedy presidency.

About the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation

The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides financial support, staffing, and creative resources for the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. The private financial support provided by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation enables the federal government to expand the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum’s research and archival capacity, to undertake marketing and public information projects, to offer intern and research fellowship programs, to enhance its museum and exhibits, and to offer nationally recognized educational and public programming.

By sponsoring and administering programs such as the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award, the New Frontier Award, and the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest for High School Students, the Foundation is united with the Library in a common mission to perpetuate President Kennedy's ideal that political and public service be conducted and exemplified as an honorable and patriotic profession.

# # #