SANTA MONICA, Calif., Aug. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 13,000 people are now waving their own Stars and Stripes thanks to Macerich Company's (NYSE: MAC) three month-long "An Old Glory-ous Celebration," which had 47 malls nationwide passing out American flags and flag etiquette books to residents in their communities.
Held from Memorial Day through Labor Day, "An Old Glory-ous Celebration" promoted patriotism and honored the American flag with special events, promotions, exhibits, community partnerships and patriotic give-aways at each Macerich property. During the three month program, Macerich properties handed out 13,387 U.S. flags and 14,867 flag etiquette books, held a total of 754 days of voter registration at 19 properties, held 47 Flag Day Celebrations and 47 flag pole dedications, and nationalized ten new U.S. citizens in a swearing-in ceremony.
"This summer we learned that our shoppers feel patriotic, and an Olympic year and presidential election year definitely strengthens that sense of pride," said Susan Valentine, senior vice president and director of marketing at Macerich. "Our summer program allowed our shoppers a way to express their patriotism and learn about our country's heritage and history. As a community partner, we are proud that we were able to provide that."
Macerich learned about the patriotic spirit and history I.Q. of its shoppers after conducting "Old Glory-ology," a survey of 4,000 shoppers nationwide on summer trends and American trivia. The results of the May survey supported many of Macerich's programs, including the need for in-mall voter registration opportunities -- over a third of those surveyed were not registered to vote and didn't plan to vote in the upcoming election. One third of Americans also didn't know what was special about June 14, prompting each Macerich center to hold Flag Day celebrations to spread awareness for Old Glory and its holiday.
While the survey revealed patriotic sentiments of young and old alike, most Macerich properties also held essay contests for community youth to get the poetic perspective. Nearly 3,000 students nationwide entered the various Macerich mall essay contests, including ten-year-old Elizabeth from Fort Smith, Arkansas, an autistic child who was among the winners at Macerich's Northwest Arkansas Mall in Fayetteville. Elizabeth wrote:
"The red on the flag reminds me of my heart, the birds and freedom. White reminds me of a blank sheet of paper to write ideas on for my dreams.
Blue reminds me of my eyes looking at the sky in the morning which goes on forever like a bright future.
The stripes remind me of a ladder that takes a soldier home to heaven when he dies fighting in the war for our freedom.
The stars on the flag remind me of when I wish upon a star and it makes my dreams come true. In America, all my dreams can come true."
Queens Center in New York witnessed the American dream coming true for ten New York residents, as they held a swearing in ceremony during the property's Flag Day celebration. Macerich Company not only used the summer program as an opportunity to appeal to their shopper's sense of patriotism and promote American history, but the majority of Macerich centers also used the program as a way to partner with community organizations and non-profits through various summer benefits, including: Save America's Treasures, League of Women Voters, National Flag Day Foundation, Veterans of Foreign Wars and various schools, councils and offices of the armed forces.
The Macerich Company, which has ownership interest in over 50 malls across the continental United States, is one of the nation's largest owner / operators of regional malls. Founded in 1965, Macerich is publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol "MAC". For more information on Macerich, including "An Old Glory-ous Celebration", visit the Macerich web site at www.macerich.com. SOURCE The Macerich Company
CONTACT: Betty Lovell, 972-788-4511, or pager, 214-910-5296, for The Macerich Company; or Susan Valentine of The Macerich Company, 310-394-6911