Wings of Hope
Remembering Tennessee’s Survivors and Liberators
This year we are debuting a statewide initiative to engage our youth with the history of the Holocaust. Our new program, Wings of Hope, is an interactive project where students will learn about the Holocaust and how it affected Tennesseans. This program includes a 30- minute overview of the Holocaust, including how it connects to individuals in our state.
We hope you will join us in this endeavor. With your participation, we hope to reach our goal of sharing 1,000 butterflies by June 30, 2026 to honor Tennessee's survivors and liberators of the Holocaust.
Below are steps for participating in the Wings of Hope program at your institution/organization/school.
- Give a 30-minute overview of the Holocaust. Participants can request the presentation be given by Commission staff or lead it themselves using the “Holocaust 101” PowerPoint, which includes notes on each slide. The final slide connects this history to survivors and liberators in Tennessee. Request Powerpoint Presentation.
- Following the overview, give each student the portrait of one survivor. Students should read the individual’s biography. Portrait pages can be found at the link below to the Class Set. Set should be printed front and back in order to keep info together.
- Once students have read their person’s biography, they should color/decorate a butterfly template in their packet. Butterflies should have the name of the person included in the design. Butterflies can be colored, and/or include: words or messages. They should reflect the story of the individual the student has read about.
- After completing butterflies, participants can choose one of three options:
- Send home with students
- Keep at the respective institution for display (We welcome your photos!)
- Donate to the Tennessee Holocaust Commission. Donated butterflies will either be used as part of a developing traveling exhibit or shared with survivors/liberators and their families. To donate butterflies, please send to: Tennessee Holocaust Commission, PO Box 59252, Nashville, TN 37205