(Buford, Ga., Oct. 6, 2015) – During the Nazi regime, more than 1.5 million Jewish children were killed.  Many of those children’s stories have not survived but one young girl’s memory lives on today due to the power of the words found in her personal journal.

Anne Frank spent two years hiding from the Nazis in an annex behind her father’s office in Amsterdam and recorded the experience in her diary.  She, along with Ruby Bridges and Ryan White, are extraordinary examples of children who overcame isolation, fear and prejudice to make a positive difference in the world.  All three are featured in a special exhibition on display at the Environmental and Heritage Center (EHC) called The Power of Children:  Making A Difference.

In honor of this exhibit and the heroic young people it features, the EHC will host a Make A Difference Celebration on Monday, Oct. 12, 2015, from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.  The event provides a unique opportunity to meet a holocaust survivor as well as various people and volunteers in the community who spend every day trying to make the world a better place to live. There will also be activities related to The Power of Children exhibit throughout the day.

Herschel Greenblat, a resident of Atlanta, will provide a rare, firsthand account of what it was like to live in Nazi occupied Europe as a Jewish child.  His presentation will begin at 1 p.m.

“The EHC is honored to have Mr. Greenblat on our campus to tell his story.  It is almost hard to imagine that a person, especially a child, could be threatened with death because of ethnicity and cultural differences,” said EHC Director of Programming Jason West.  “Hopefully, Mr. Greenblat’s story, as well as those of the children highlighted in this exhibit, will inspire people today to fight discrimination and intolerance.”

Organized by The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, The Power of Children has been made possible through NEH on the Road, a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities. It has been adapted and toured nationally by Mid-America Arts Alliance.  It is sponsored locally by the Environmental and Heritage Center Foundation.

The Power of Children encourages children and families to explore problems of isolation, fear and prejudice by giving a personal face to three major issues of the 20th century: the Holocaust, the Civil Rights movement and the AIDS epidemic. Through audio-visual presentations, original artifacts and hands-on interactive displays, visitors will get to know each child’s story, and immersive environments will bring them into the spaces where each child felt safe.

Program fees for the EHC’s Make A Difference Celebration are $8 per person.  EHC members and children under the age of 2 are free.  The Power of Children exhibit will be on display until October 20, 2015.  For more information about The Power of Children and the EHC, visit www.gwinnettEHC.org.