By Sue Loughlin
In 1998, as she read to a group of seventh-graders about the Holocaust, Bobbi McPeak was moved to tears as she described a Polish family transported by cattle car to Auschwitz and then separated.
She thought of her own family members, who had been roughly the same ages.
McPeak fervently believes that students must be taught the lessons of the Holocaust, and she’s decided to do something about it.
She has formed a foundation that will fund scholarships enabling Vigo County middle and high school teachers to visit Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps in Poland.
It is called the Indiana Auschwitz Education Foundation, and McPeak’s daughter, Jennifer McPeak-Bailey, is assisting her.
In 2004, McPeak joined Eva Kor and 33 others in attending the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Three Vigo County middle school teachers, Sherri Armstrong, Melanie Beaver and Michelle Sullivan, also made the journey.
“When I went to Auschwitz and saw those teachers and the tremendous learning they brought back, it struck me — this is wonderful,” McPeak said. The teachers brought back firsthand experiences and observations they could share with their students.
McPeak wants to ensure other teachers have the same opportunities.
She has formed a not-for-profit foundation that will raise funds so that more teachers can visit the Holocaust concentration camps. Eventually, the foundation will have a board of directors.
She also seeks 501c3 status so that donations will be tax deductible.
McPeak, the foundation’s founder and president, plans to ask Wabash Valley companies for donations and she’ll seek funds from other foundations. She also anticipates having fund-raisers.
The first trip sponsored by the foundation is planned for June 2007. McPeak plans to raise enough funds to send at least three teachers. Holocaust survivor Eva Kor will lead the trip, which will be open to members of the public.
McPeak, who formerly taught middle and high school, serves on the CANDLES Holocaust Museum board and has kept Kor well-informed about her efforts. CANDLES and the new foundation are planning some collaborative efforts, including a conference on forgiveness in September.
McPeak recalls teaching a group of high school seniors about the Holocaust, and one student told her the Holocaust never happened.
In 20 to 25 years, there probably won’t be any Holocaust survivors left to tell their stories, McPeak said. It’s important to send educators so that students continue to learn what really happened.
“We need to bring it alive as much as we can,” McPeak said.
Kor, director of the CANDLES Holocaust Museum, strongly supports McPeak’s initiative.
McPeak saw how the three Vigo County teachers benefited from the journey to Auschwitz, Kor said.
The teachers “came back with information, enthusiasm and teaching materials beyond my wildest dreams,” Kor said. “You cannot teach enthusiasm. You have to experience it.”
Soon after the group returned form Auschwitz last year, McPeak talked about starting the foundation. McPeak understood that “anyone who goes to Auschwitz returns a changed person. They understand what is important in life and what isn’t,” Kor said.
When the group goes to Auschwitz in 2007, McPeak wants to have a forgiveness march from Birkenau to Auschwitz, Kor said.
Armstrong, a Honey Creek Middle School teacher, will serve on a committee that helps select teachers who will receive scholarships.
“It’s a big expense, but it’s so worthwhile, especially for teachers teaching about the Holocaust,” Armstrong said.
Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.
For more information:
— For more information about the Indiana Auschwitz Education Foundation, or to donate, contact founder Bobbi McPeak at (812) 234-6033 or e-mail bobbiannmcpeak@yahoo.com.
