Sally Jewell Joins National Mall Fundraising Push

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell is joining a fundraising effort to help restore the National Mall.

On Thursday, Jewell will speak at the annual fundraising luncheon of the Trust for the National Mall. The nonprofit group is the official partner of the National Park Service in an effort to restore and preserve the National Mall. The mall is a two-mile expanse that runs from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial.

For years, the grounds and facilities fell into disrepair, even though the National Mall is the most-visited national park. Visitors find dead grass, broken sidewalks and fetid pools of water.

The nonprofit group's benefit luncheon has raised more than $7 million over the past five years to restore the mall. The group aims to raise $350 million for the effort.