Student Field Trip Scholarship Requests Now Open with Priority for Missouri and
Kansas Schools with Title I and 50%+ Free and Reduced Lunch Designations
Kansas City, MO – April 7, 2021 – Today, Union Station officials announced unprecedented donor support to send area students (12 years and older) to the international tour of Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. — created by Musealia and Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum — opening June 14th at Union Station.
“To ensure the maximum number of area students experience this important exhibit, a very generous community of donors have made school groups from Missouri and Kansas eligible for free admission,” George Guastello, Union Station president and CEO, said. “Public, private, parochial and home schools are eligible with a priority going to those designated Title I or 50%+ Free and Reduced Lunch. This is a significant acknowledgement of not only the quality and historical significance of the exhibit, but also the importance of accessibility to this profound experience. Our donors are so pleased and proud to make this possible, and we can’t thank them enough. In total, their support will fund tens of thousands of student visits.”
Student Scholarship Donors include Edward F. Swinney Trust, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee, Marion & Henry Bloch Family Foundation, Hall Family Foundation, Sosland Family, In loving memory of Ilsa Dahl Cole and Walter Joseph Cole by Ann and Kenneth Baum, In Loving Memory of Fred & Maria Devinki, Steven and Karen Pack Family Fund, Craig & Ida Kolkin and Family, Oppenstein Brothers Foundation, Commerce Bank, N.A., as Trustee, Regnier Family Foundations, Haverty Family Foundation, Michael and Cathy Schultz, Harry Portman Charitable Trust, UMB Bank, N.A., as Trustee.
“In the last few days, we started alerting area schools of this opportunity and the reaction has been enthusiastic and very appreciative,” Jerry Baber, Union Station EVP and COO, said. “Access to this kind of content — in such a compelling format — is rare unless you are able to travel to encounter it. The reality is that many area students simply aren’t able to do that, in particular in the context of a field trip. Not only is this exhibit a point of pride for Kansas City, it’s one of those occasions in which a significant opportunity is met with significant resources to make something wonderful happen. Without hesitation, our world-class donors said loud and clear how important the Auschwitz story is to our youth and future leaders. Students need this history in order to live and lead with tolerance and a priority on diversity and inclusion.”
Regarding this must-see exhibit, this will be the first time – more than 75 years after the liberation of Auschwitz – an international tour dedicated to the historical significance of the German Nazi camp is being presented to a U.S. audience. This groundbreaking experience brings together more than 700 original objects and 400 photographs from over 20 institutions and museums from around the world.
In total, Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. is the most comprehensive exhibition dedicated to the history of Auschwitz and its role in the Holocaust every presented in North America, and an unparalleled opportunity to confront the singular face of human evil – one that rose not long ago and not far away. Curated by an international team of experts, this experience has been described as “profoundly important” and one not to miss.
Station officials emphasize student field trip scholarships will be considered and awarded on a first come/first served basis. Access to Student Field Trip details and Scholarship Requests can be found at https://uskc.wufoo.com/forms/auschwitz-exhibition-group-reservation-form/
For schools interested in locking in tickets immediately, reservations are open for dates starting July 1, 2020 through January, 2022. A discounted rate of $15* per ticket applies to groups of 10 or more, representing a 36% savings from regular single ticket prices. All admissions include individual audio guides for added content and convenience (in English and Spanish). Due to the nature of exhibit content, this exhibit is suitable for ages 12 years and older.
For more information on how you or your organization can support student scholarships to Auschwitz: Not long ago. Not far away., contact Christy Nitsche, Union Station Director of Advancement & Community Engagement at: [email protected] or 816-460-2208.
For questions specifically regarding School Field Trips and Scholarships, contact Myrene Shifley at: [email protected] or 816-460-2093.
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About Union Station Kansas City — a 501(c)3 non-profit organization — is a 105-year-old historical landmark and celebrated civic asset renovated and reopened to the public in 1999. Regularly awarded “Favorite Attraction”, “Favorite Family-Friendly Attraction” and “Favorite Historic Attraction”, the organization — dedicated to science education, celebration of community and preservation of history — is home to Kansas City’s internationally-awarded Science City; the new Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium; the Regnier Extreme Screen Theatre; the popular Model Train Gallery; City Stage featuring live theater, and a selection of unique shops and restaurants. Union Station is also home to prominent area civic organizations and businesses, and regularly hosts world-class traveling exhibitions, like the upcoming 2021 presentation of Auschwitz. Not Long Ago. Not Far Away. Awarded “Top Banquet Facilities in KC” by KC Business Journal, the facility annually hosts hundreds of community events and private celebrations of all sizes. Visit WWW.UNIONSTATION.ORG for details. Also, follow us on FACEBOOK,TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, and YOUTUBE.
About Musealia
Musealia is a Spanish-based global producer of large-scale historical exhibitions that are presented at museums and education centers all over the world. Its vision is to create and manage exhibitions that are distinguished by a strong narrative character, historical rigor, emotional impact, and educational value.
About The Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum
Fulfilling the wish of survivors, on July 2, 1947, the Polish parliament created the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum on the site of two preserved parts of the former German Nazi camp: Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau. The Memorial today includes an Archive and a Collections department, and undertakes research, conservation, and publishing activities. It is, above all, an education center that teaches visitors about the history of Auschwitz and the Shoah. More than 2.32 million people visited the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in 2019.
Artifacts and images from dozens of institutions and private collections from around the world will be on view at Union Station. These sources include:
Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, Oświęcim
Auschwitz Jewish Center, Oświęcim
Buchenwald Memorial, Weimar
Bundesarchiv, Berlin
Canadian War Museum, Ottawa
Christian Schad Museum, Aschaffenburg
Czartoryski Museum and Library, Kraków
Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin
Ghetto Fighters’ House Museum, Kibbutz Lohamei Hagetaot
Hartheim Castle Education and Memorial Centre, Alkoven
Holocaust Center for Humanity, Seattle
House of the Wannsee Conference, Berlin
Imperial War Museum, London
Institut für Zeitgeschichte, Munich
Institute of National Remembrance, Warsaw
Jewish Historical Museum, Amsterdam
Jewish Museum of Greece, Athens
Mauthausen Memorial, Mauthausen
Memorial and Museum Sachsenhausen, Oranienburg
Memorial Centre Westerbork, Hooghalen (The Netherlands)
Montreal Holocaust Museum, Montreal
Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, D.C.
NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Amsterdam
Slovak National Archives, Bratislava
Terezín Initiative Institute, Prague
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C.
Wiener Library for the Study of the Holocaust and Genocide, London
Yad Vashem, Jerusalem
For Immediate Release
Union Station Contact: Michael Tritt
C: 913.219.6890 [email protected]