Center for Holocaust, Human Rights & Genocide Education (Chhange) Announces $50,000 Challenge Match Grant

The Center for Holocaust, Human Rights & Genocide Education (Chhange) at Brookdale Community College has raised $37,500 toward a $50,000 challenge match grant for a permanent exhibit, Journeys Beyond Genocide: The Human Experience. The challenge match grant is sponsored by the Kolber Family Foundation. For every $1 donated toward this grant, Chhange will receive $2.

Journeys Beyond Genocide: The Human Experience will present the Holocaust, the Armenian Genocide, and the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, as well as opportunities to stand up to injustice in today’s world. Visitors will experience the compelling human story beyond the history, using testimony of local Holocaust and genocide survivors and their archival items, as well as tablet software technology designed and donated by AT&T specifically for this exhibit. Chhange will unveil the exhibit on October 22, 2017 at its facility in Lincroft, New Jersey.

The Kolber Family Foundation will match all donations received now through July 15, 2017, dollar for dollar, up to $50,000 for Chhange’s permanent exhibit. There is no minimum gift amount. Donations of $2,500+ will be acknowledged with a donor plaque at Chhange.

According to George Kolber, “Chhange’s educational programs and exhibits always incorporate personal, captivating testimonies of survivors that truly resonate with visitors. As descendants of Holocaust survivors, my brother Charles and I are committed to help preserve survivor legacy. We believe that Chhange’s educational approach has lasting impact on today’s youth. The Kolber Family Foundation is pleased to support Journeys Beyond Genocide. We trust that our challenge grant will motivate donors and help Chhange raise additional funds to complete its campaign goals.”

Chhange Executive Director Dale Daniels shares, “We’re 75 percent of the way there! We’re thrilled that the Kolber Family Foundation selected Chhange for a $50,000 challenge grant and that we’ve reached the $37,500 mark. The Kolber Family Foundation’s incredibly generous contribution underscores the foundation’s visionary thinking about the long-term impact this exhibit will have on future generations.”

Adds project co-director Susan Yellin, “We hope that this challenge match sends a powerful message to donors that, at the present time, their contributions are doubly meaningful to Chhange’s educational mission. For example, a gift of $100 will have a $200 impact on our permanent exhibit. We encourage everyone to respond quickly to this opportunity. Gifts of any amount are appreciated.”

To support Journeys Beyond Genocide: The Human Experience, please consider a tax-deductible donation, of any amount. Visit https://www.chhange.org/give-back/matching-grant-initiative-campaign-for-chhange to make a donation.

Chhange plans to host the grand opening of Journeys Beyond Genocide on Sunday, October 22. According to Daniels, “Chhange’s permanent exhibit will be unequaled in the state of New Jersey. It will connect to visitors locally, through the survivors who live in our communities, and globally through the universality of its themes. Dynamic in content and vision, it demonstrates that individuals can make a difference in the face of hate and bias today.” Chhange has collected powerful survivor testimonies from all three genocides and valuable archival materials (e.g., personal keepsakes, mementos, clothing, diaries, and journals) that bring those personal histories to life.

In April 2015, Chhange staged a prototype of the permanent exhibit, focusing on the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The exhibit generated an overwhelmingly positive response from educators, students, civic groups, and the general public, and validated Chhange’s curatorial approach for its permanent exhibit.

Chhange is proud to offer a variety of educational programs. For example, Chhange recently completed a limited engagement of an international exhibit, Anne Frank: A History for Today. The bilingual exhibit incorporated quotes from Anne’s diary and drew parallels to today’s refugee crisis. Anne Frank: A History for Today was developed by the Anne Frank House and sponsored in North America by the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect.

In conjunction with the Anne Frank exhibit, middle and high school students from throughout New Jersey studied and reflected upon Anne Frank’s story, creating artistic responses reflecting their beliefs and feelings about complex moral issues. Chhange presented this student art installation, Through Their Eyes, through June 2017.

Established in 1979, the Center for Holocaust, Human Rights & Genocide Education (Chhange) at Brookdale Community College has carried out its mission “to educate about the Holocaust, human rights, and genocide; promote the elimination of all forms of prejudice; and develop creative programs regarding these crucial human issues.”

Chhange provides 50-75 programs each year to more than 25,000 students, educators, and community members from varied socio-economic, racial, and ethnic groups within Monmouth County, throughout New Jersey, and beyond. We are committed to educate, inspire, and empower people to address human rights issues and become active, involved citizens. Chhange memberships start at $35 for an individual and $60 for a family.

For additional details, please visit Chhange’s new website - www.chhange.org - or call 732-224-1889.