The FHM’s “To Life” gala raised over $645,000 to support the Museum’s educational programs and to preserve its large collection of artifacts and art
March 2, 2017 [St. Petersburg, FL] – The Florida Holocaust Museum (The FHM) celebrated its 25th Anniversary on Saturday with a grand celebration at The Vinoy Renaissance Resort and Golf Club in downtown St. Petersburg.
Over 700 supporters of The FHM attended the sold out To Life: The FHM’s 25th Anniversary gala. Since its inception, The FHM’s focus has been to tell the story of the millions who suffered or died suring the Holocaust through personal testimonies, official documentation, photographs, and artifacts of individual narratives. The gala raised over $645,000 to support the Museum’s educational programs and to preserve its large collection of artifacts and art.
“We are overwhelmed by the generous support we continue to receive from our community and throughout the state. As we face the next 25 years, we know there is no more important task than keeping the Museum’s collection safe and continuing to pass down the objects and the stories they hold to future generations,” said Elizabeth Gelman, Executive Director of The Florida Holocaust Museum.
The FHM’s educational and outreach programs are a vital part of its mission. During the To Life program, community advocates Lisa Wheeler-Bowman, Gayle Sierens, Jenieff Watson, and Jane Castor all took the stage to share their personal stories and express their gratitude for the Museum’s dedication to developing and delivering unique strategies empowering people to make positive changes in the world.
The To Life gala featured a moving speech from Keynote Speaker, David Eisenhower, who accepted the 2017 Loebenberg Humanitarian Award on behalf of his grandfather, President and General Dwight D. Eisenhower. The posthumous award was given in recognition of the pivotal role General Eisenhower played while liberating the Nazi concentration camps, insisting that the horrors discovered in the camps be documented and artifacts preserved to ensure that the Holocaust could neither be denied nor forgotten.
The Museum’s founder, Walter Loebenberg was presented with a special 25th Anniversary Award during the To Life gala. In 1989, Mr. Loebenberg founded The Florida Holocaust Museum, one of only three accredited Holocaust museums in the United States, to provide quality Holocaust and human rights education to adults and students. To date, more than 1 million students have learned the concepts of upstander behavior, the rights and responsibilities of living in a democracy, and speaking out against injustice through the Museum’s educational outreach.
The FHM invites the community to attend numerous celebratory programs, events, and exhibitions, along with its daily educational and outreach efforts, throughout the upcoming year. To learn more about The FHM’s upcoming 25th Anniversary events and exhibitions, visit the Museum online at www.TheFHM.org/25th.
The Florida Holocaust Museum is located at 55 5th Street S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
About The Florida Holocaust Museum
2017 marks a monumental milestone for The Florida Holocaust Museum (The FHM) as the Museum celebrates its 25th Anniversary. One of the largest Holocaust museums in the country, and one of three nationally accredited Holocaust museums, The FHM honors the memory of millions of men, women and children who suffered of died in the Holocaust. The FHM is dedicated to teaching members of all races and cultures the inherent worth and dignity of human life in order to prevent future genocides. For additional information, please visit www.TheFHM.org.