#GivingChallenge16 starts TODAY at 12PM. #BeTheOne to donate and #TheFHM will receive a 2:1 match!
Sarah Hagerty, Public Relations Intern at The Florida Holocaust Museum
The Giving Challenge is a 24-hour online fundraising event, starting Tuesday, September 20 at 12:00 p.m. and continuing until 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 21. During this day of giving, The Patterson Foundation will make a 2:1 match on all donations to The Florida Holocaust Museum. This means that if you donate $25, The FHM receives $75, if you donate $50 The FHM receives $150, and so on. However, donations must be made through The Giving Challenge’s website www.GivingPartnerChallenge.org in order for The FHM to receive the 2:1 match.
A donation to The Florida Holocaust Museum is used to fund different Educational and Outreach programs, including the Teaching Trunks program. This program provides materials necessary to teach the lessons of the Holocaust, including resource materials and curriculum guides. The trunks are available to teachers free of charge, and are designed to accommodate the needs of one class or a team of teachers. Teaching Trunks are also carefully designed by grade level to ensure that the lessons and materials are appropriate to best reach students at each age group. So far, the Teaching Trunk program has been used to teach over a million students about the Holocaust.
Another program funded by donations is the Anne Frank Humanitarian Award program, which honors outstanding humanitarian efforts by high school juniors in public and private schools throughout Pinellas, Pasco, Hillsborough, Sarasota, and Manatee counties. Students are recommended by their principals and guidance counselors for demonstrating a conscious decision to better the lives of others, both inside and outside of school activities. Recipients of the Anne Frank Humanitarian Award each receive a Family Membership and two guest passes to The Florida Holocaust Museum.
The FHM also sponsors the Law Enforcement and Society (LEAS) program, which works in partnership with The Anti-Defamation League and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum to bring the Law Enforcement and Society: Lessons of the Holocaust program to Florida for the first time. This program aims to investigate the role German police played during the Holocaust, and to examine the role of law enforcement in a democratic society today. So far, The FHM has trained over 1,000 Florida police officers through the Law Enforcement and Society program.
Another Educational and Outreach program, the Speak Up, Speak Now!® summer program teaches students about the importance of speaking up in the face of injustice. This program combines art, group activities, and listening to guest speakers to examine concepts including prejudice, stereotypes, and propaganda. Guest speakers include Holocaust Survivors, refugees, law enforcement officers, and community activists.
The Summer Institute for Teachers is another educational program that shares resources with educators outside the area who might not otherwise have access to The Florida Holocaust Museum. This program prepares educators to return to their classrooms equipped with the knowledge and resources to effectively teach lessons of the Holocaust and other issues that include prejudice, stereotyping, and racism.
In addition to these programs, The FHM offers student tours and talks with Holocaust Survivors, teacher workshops, and even Skype conversations with Survivors throughout Florida classrooms. Since The FHM’s inception, over 250,000 students have heard a Holocaust Survivor tell their story, and 2,300 Title 1 school groups have visited The Florida Holocaust Museum free of charge. The FHM enables over 150,000 people annually to learn about genocide and human rights issues through engaging exhibits, educational programs, and first-hand accounts from Holocaust Survivors.
A donation to The Florida Holocaust Museum funds these vital programs and supports The FHM’s ongoing dedication to education and outreach, both throughout central Florida and beyond. Thank you for your support!
