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Press Release
Contacts:

Jaclyn Falkenstein
Public Relations Coordinator
(317) 334-4007
(317) 626-4555 cell
JaclynF@childrensmuseum.org

The Tree of Promise Legacy is Fulfilled with a Gift of a Real Anne Frank Tree
A Sapling from the Original Tree in Amsterdam will Travel to
The Children's Museum of Indianapolis

For two years, a 13-year-old Jewish girl named Anne Frank chronicled the events of her life hiding from the Nazis with her family and four friends in Amsterdam during the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II.

From a secret annex where Anne Frank was hidden from the Nazis, she could see a majestic chestnut tree. Had she survived the Holocaust, Anne would have turned 80 years old this year. In commemoration, The Children's Museum of Indianapolis will receive and plant a sapling from the horse chestnut tree that still stands outside that secret annex. The tree in Amsterdam that provided comfort for Anne Frank is suffering from a fungal disease, but so far has been preserved. A three-foot-high sapling from that 150-year-old chestnut tree will be planted at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, home to The Power of Children: Making a Difference exhibit. It is the only permanent Anne Frank exhibit in the U.S. approved by the Anne Frank Center USA and the Anne Frank House. This sapling comes to The Children's Museum of Indianapolis courtesy of the Anne Frank Center USA, which is a confirmed location for a second sapling. The center's director, Yvonne Simons also hopes to see one planted near the White House and the National September 11 Memorial.

"We are ecstatic, humbled and honored that Anne Frank's legacy through this sapling will live on at the world's largest children's museum," said Dr. Jeffrey Patchen, president and CEO of The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. "Yvonne Simons and the Anne Frank Center in NY, as well as the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, have been extraordinary partners with The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Our collective vision to ensure the legacy of Anne Frank for future generations will now be reflected in a living tree to be planted in a new sculpture garden at the museum for millions of children and their families to enjoy."

The Power of Children: Making a Difference exhibit opened in November 2007 to show the impact that children have had and will continue to have in shaping history. Over the years, the museum presented several temporary Holocaust-related exhibits and found that telling the story of Anne Frank and recreating the Annex room where she wrote in her diary was an extremely powerful experience for children and families.

Gerald Paul, Honorary Trustee of The Children's Museum of Indianapolis lent his vision and expertise to making the exhibit a reality. He helped lead the funding effort for The Power of Children: Making a Difference exhibit. "This unique and moving exhibit was personally important to me because the Anne Frank experience makes it possible for families and especially children to learn important lessons about intolerance and discrimination."

"The Children's Museum has had an extensive collaboration with the Anne Frank House and the Anne Frank Center USA. Anne Frank is portrayed as one of three children in the Power of Children exhibit, which will be on long term display," said Yvonne Simons, director of the Anne Frank Center. "In remembrance of the 1.5 million children who perished in the Holocaust, I can think of no more appropriate place to have Anne's wish for tolerance continue to live on than this museum, which celebrates the spirit of innocence of each and every child."

Decades after she died in Bergen-Belsen camp, Otto Frank, Anne's father, talked about the significance of the chestnut for Anne. He said, "She longed for it during that time when she felt like a caged bird. How could I have suspected ... how important the chestnut tree was to her."

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