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Anonymous Donor to Match First $5,000 Raised
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July 6, 2017 [St. Petersburg, FL] – This morning, The Florida Holocaust Museum (The FHM) launched its 3rd Annual “Trunks of Hope” campaign at https://text.gives/trunks to continue providing Teaching Trunks to educators nationwide free of charge.
To date, 1 million students have learned the importance of standing up against bigotry and hate through The FHM’s Teaching Trunks! The FHM believes that educating our children about the past is the first step to creating a world without hate. The Museum’s Teaching Trunks were developed to teach about the Holocaust, and combat hate and prejudice today. These trunks are designed to give students tangible tools to make their schools, their communities, and the world a better place.
“I learned about how horribly Jews and other people were treated,” said one student in a thank you letter to The FHM. “I also learned that there are people in the world that care enough to fight for their beliefs and that there are also people out there who try to destroy them. I learned lots more but just wanted to thank you for this opportunity to be able to pass along the message.”
This year’s “Trunks of Hope” campaign is to cover the 2017-18 school year’s Teaching Trunks shipping costs and allow its message of hope to reach even more students. Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, all donations will go farther than ever. The FHM’s anonymous donor will match every dollar donated up to $5,000! In addition, “Trunks of Hope” campaign donors are eligible to win free box seat tickets (with dinner and beverage included) to an upcoming Tampa Bay Rays game.
In past years, The FHM has sent Teaching Trunks free of charge to educators nationwide who request one, but rising shipping costs have made this a much more expensive proposition. On average, one round-trip Teaching Trunk journey costs $300. Last year, The FHM’s Teaching Trunks were sent throughout Florida and to schools in 20 other states.
“This trunk holds a plethora of information for teaching the Holocaust. Great resources for literature circles,” said Patricia Golden, seventh and eighth grade teacher at Lehigh Acres Middle School. “Six million is a number that is so far out of reach to compare with anything, and the students were able to grasp the horrific and absolute pain, torture and death. Most of my kids had never heard of the Holocaust; this was such a powerful learning experience for them. Their wish is for peace, love and tolerance for all.”
Teaching Trunks are filled with materials educators can use to help teach their students about the Holocaust, other genocides and character education – books, videos, maps, diaries, photos, artwork, guidelines, lesson plans and more. Last year alone, our trunks traveled to 21 states, reaching approximately 50,000 students! The Museum sends Teaching Trunks FREE of charge to any educator in the contiguous United States who would like one. If you’d like to know more about the Teaching Trunks or you’re a teacher who would like to request one for their classroom, click here.
Be sure to follow the hashtag #TrunksofHope on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to see where hope is being spread next.
To support The FHM’s “Trunks of Hope” campaign and to ensure that Teaching Trunks are provided free of charge to educators nationwide, please visit https://text.gives/trunks or text the keyword “Trunks” to 855-735-2437.
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.
About Trunks of Hope
To teach about the Holocaust, and to combat hate and prejudice, The FHM developed Teaching Trunks to send learning materials to teachers free of charge. The trunks are designed to be grade appropriate, touching on everything from basic respect and tolerance for younger grades, to in-depth studies about the Holocaust for older students. In addition, some trunks focus specifically on Human Rights and Genocide, as well as trunks that teach the lessons of the Holocaust through the arts.
Photos and credits
 2017 “Trunks of Hope” campaign image.
 Teaching Trunks thank you letter from a student.
Photo credit: The FHM.
 Students with The FHM’s Teaching Trunk.
Photo credit: The FHM.
 Students with The FHM’s Teaching Trunk.
Photo credit: The FHM.
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