JOIN US for an Exciting Season of New Exhibits and Programming

The museum has been buzzing with activity! We’ve had school groups in the mornings, public visitors in the afternoon, and private group tours coming in to visit as well. We even had WINK News reporter Gail Levy come in to do a news story about International Holocaust Remembrance Day, interviewing two of our local Holocaust Survivors, Sarah Rockler and Rob Nossen, for her report.

Our staff and volunteers are also out in the community giving talks at libraries and for community groups, setting up the Boxcar Exhibit and PopUp Museum displays, and teaching lessons at schools. And, great progress continues to be made on our exciting expansion project!

Many people are not aware of the special tours we offer tailored to students and adult groups. We also want to bring you up to date on our new North Wing plans. Please read on for details.

School Group Tours …

Our Education Department works with students and teachers in five Southwest Florida counties. One of our most popular programs is a field trip to the museum. These tours are available for public, private, home school and alternative school groups.

Student tours take place on weekday mornings when we are closed to the public. Up to 50 students, teachers and chaperones can be accommodated at one time. For larger groups with multiple classes, we will schedule the museum visits over several days.

The field trip usually begins with students arriving around 9:30 am. Following a brief introduction to the museum, they take a tour through our galleries with a Docent. The Docent gives them the historical background of the Holocaust, as well as shares the personal stories of local Southwest Florida residents who are Holocaust Survivors and Camp Liberators. These stories help make history “personal” and more memorable for the students.

Following the tour, the students move to the Maureen and Arnold Lerner Classroom. Here, they participate in an educational activity. Middle schoolchildren learn about Holocaust heroes like Irena Sendler, and high school students learn about researching primary historical documents using some of the items from the museum’s collection.

At the conclusion of the field trips, the groups have the option of eating their lunch before returning to school. Special note: Thanks to a generous grant from the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation, funds are available to help defray the cost of 8th grade field trips to the museum. We are grateful to Suncoast Credit Union Foundation for this assistance in bringing students to the museum.

Private Group Tours …

Looking for an interesting and memorable activity for your family, friends, neighbors or organization? Why not book a private group tour at the museum. Tours are offered for 10 – 25 people, and, as with the student tours, private groups are conducted when the museum is closed to the public.

You have the museum to yourselves and don’t have to rush. A variety of tour options are available, including an evening option. We work with your schedule and interests. You can have a Docent-led tour, a Holocaust Survivor Presentation (based on availability.) A light breakfast, light lunch or light refreshments can also be provided.

For information and scheduling Student and Private Group tours, please contact David Nelson, Education Specialist at David@hmcec.org or 239-263-9200, ext 205.

Information on student group and private group tours is also available on our website, www.hmcec.org.

Our North Wing Expansion Project …

The construction phase of the North Wing project has progressed to where we can now finalize designs for the new exhibits. After months of discussing what to include and what not to include, text is written and images, videos, recorded testimony and artifacts are selected.

Our exhibit firm will take this information and design the appropriate panels, cases, lighting and other elements to make the exhibits complete. We can’t wait for you to experience our newly expanded museum sometime this summer!

Help Us Grow! …

Our adjacent space will become a large classroom, Auschwitz Gallery, Gallery for Other Genocides and Human Rights, Special Exhibit Gallery and more. This new space will increase the size of the museum from 6,000 to 9,600 square feet, allowing us to serve Thousands more students and guests each year as well as provide additional exhibits.

For more information on making a gift to help us grow, please contact 239-263-9200 or susan@hmcec.org

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