Monday, September 22 2008

House Delegate William R. Janis (56th District, Virginia) to Preside at Ceremony,
USCIS' Washington District Director Sarah T. Taylor to Administer Oath of Allegiance

WASHINGTON -— Scotchtown, the picturesque estate of Patrick Henry, a hero of the American Revolution and the first governor of Virginia, will be the site of a special naturalization ceremony Sept. 24 when 41 new citizens recite the Oath of Allegiance. The Honorable William R. Janis of the Virginia House of Delegates 56th District will preside during the ceremony and give welcoming remarks. Washington District Director Sarah Taylor, USCIS, will swear-in the new Americans and offer congratulatory remarks.

The new Americans are originally from the following 26 countries: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Cambodia, Canada, China, Colombia, El Salvador, Greece, Grenada, India, Pakistan, India, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Korea, Panama, Philippines, Lithuania, South Korea, Sudan, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom, and Vietnam.

To highlight the importance of U.S. citizenship, USCIS naturalization ceremonies are often held at prominent national and historic landmarks nationwide. During FY2007, USCIS welcomed more than 690,000 citizens during naturalization ceremonies across the United States, including 14,171 residents of the Old Dominion. For more information about the naturalization process, please visit USCIS' Web site at www.uscis.gov.

Time/Date:	11 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2008
Location:	Scotchtown –- home of Patrick Henry, 16120 Chiswell Lane, Beaverdam, Virginia. Directions to the site may be obtained at www.apva.org/scotchtown/visit.
Contacts:	Bill Wright, USCIS Office of Communications: (202) 272-1299; cell (202) 412-5047 Tina Calhoun, APVA Preservation Virginia: (804) 648-1889, ext. 316
NOTE:	Media are requested to arrive not later than 10:30 a.m. for set-up and technical purposes. For planning purposes, media planning to attend the ceremony are requested to RSVP to either Bill Wright or Tina Calhoun at the contact phone numbers above by end of business on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008.

Press Contact:
Tina Calhoun
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
APVA Preservation Virginia
804-648-1889, x316
tcalhoun@apva.org