Benefit raises $700,000 for Facing History and Ourselves
The Event: Six hundred guests gathered at the Hyatt Regency Chicago on April 26 to celebrate the critical impact that Facing History and Ourselves’ (FHO) curriculum makes on young minds.
FHO programs enable students to deepen their knowledge of history, understand the origins of hatred and violence, and decide for themselves how to act when confronted with similar choices.
Since the FHO Chicago office opened in 1990, its programming has reached 6,000 local educators who, in turn, have reached 440,000 middle and high school students throughout 774 public, religious and independent schools in the Chicago metropolitan area.
Cause célèbre: “It’s so important to create a more-informed society,” said Stacy Sharpe of Chicago, board member and gala co-chairman representing sponsor Allstate in Northbrook. “And supporting our teachers and students will help us create more civic engagement.”
“It’s a slippery slope,” said Aaron Elster of Lincolnshire, Vice President of the Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie, and FHO resource speaker. Referencing Trump’s proposed Muslim Ban, he added: “We, as a museum, had to take a stand. You start off with not allowing certain people to come to this country. Then you figure out another way to antagonize and discriminate against them, and that could lead to terrible things.”
By sharing stories of the very darkest moments of the past, FHO gives teachers and students the skills, common language and historical perspective they need, said Roger Brooks of Boston, Ma, FHO president/CEO.
“They go to places that a lot of people won’t ,” said Elster. Annually, FHO reaches 4.8 million students around the world, offering participants an opportunity to tap into the collective stories of previous generations; bear witness to the injustices they sustained and to reflect on their impact on the present.
Bottom line: The event raised more than $700,000 for FHO programming.
