Exmark, Toro Giving Program Award Grant to Homestead National Monument

Exmark Mfg. and the Toro Giving Program recently awarded a major grant to Homestead National Monument of America.

Located just west of Beatrice, Neb., Homestead National Monument of America is a unit of the National Park System. The grant, in the amount of $33,890, will be used to create all-new outdoor exhibits. The exhibits will be placed throughout the monument's 100-acre restored tallgrass prairie and at the Freeman School, a historical schoolhouse.

"Exmark is very proud of our southeast Nebraska roots, which we share with Homestead National Monument of America," said Mark Stinson, Exmark president. "We certainly recognize the good work Homestead National Monument does to educate the nation about the legacies of the Homestead Act and the history of this region. It is our honor to partner with the Toro Giving Foundation in supporting this important effort."

The new exhibits will explain the complexities of the tallgrass prairie ecosystem, critically examine the Homestead Act's impact on prairies throughout the West, and highlight many of the monument's preservation and restoration efforts.  The exhibits are expected to be in place by summer 2008. 

"We are grateful to Exmark Manufacturing for its generosity and interest in helping the monument," said Mark Engler, Superintendent of Homestead National Monument of America. "Our gratitude also goes to the Toro Giving Program for its generosity. We are proud to include them on this list of outstanding partners."

The Toro Giving Program is committed to beautifying and preserving outdoor environments, enhancing communities and improving peoples' lives. Beatrice-based Exmark Mfg. is a manufacturer of commercial mowers for landscape professionals.