Since 2013, the Spungen Family Foundation has given scholarships to graduating seniors from Billings West High School in Montana to go on a trip to Poland, including a visit to Auschwitz, with the CANDLES Holocaust Museum (based in Terre Haute, Indiana).

Starting in the spring of 2017, Billings students unable to go to Poland used their spring break time to come to Illinois for an in-depth “Survivors Week.” In the past, the students and their teacher, Rob Stanton, have visited Baha’i Temple, Illinois Holocaust Museum, and CANDLES.

When in Lincolnshire for lunches/dinners, Holocaust and other Genocide related speakers will tell their personal stories. The Spungens’ have also hosted students from Carmel Catholic High School, docents from the Illinois Holocaust Museum, and other special guests.

In 2021, due to COVID-19, Survivors Week went virtual! We were unsure in 2022 if we would be able to continue the Survivors Week tradition with the continuing pandemic conditions, but the students and Rob Stanton worked to make it happen. This year, we had our first Survivors Week in the summer.

A small group of just five students came to the Chicago area and participated in a shortened week of events. Speakers included survivors’ Doris Fogel, Ida Kersz, Judy Kolb, Ellie Merar, Steen Metz, and Agnes Schwartz. Other speakers included Lewis Lee and Gary Powers Jr.