be a fan on Facebook
friend us on MySpace
watch us
See It: The Community being helped
I have met my hero! My name is Megan Stewart-Felt, and in 1999, I began work with friends on a drama presentation in my small high school. I knew that I wanted to learn more about the Holocaust and in searching for topics I stumbled across a short article about a woman that saved over 2,500 Jewish children. This unsung hero of the Holocaust is Irena Sendler and she is 97 years old this year. She risked her life nearly everyday to smuggle children out of the Warsaw Ghetto, found hiding places for them, and buried their written identities in a jar beneath an apple tree. This is why my project is called, Life in a Jar.
Within the school year, news had spread about the unlikely story of a Protestant girl from Kansas discovering a Polish Catholic woman that saved Jewish children. One of the child survivors that Irena saved said, “You have rescued her story for the world, you have rescued the rescuer.”
Now, this drama that I wrote in ninth grade has been presented over 225 times, in three countries. More than 2,000 students, 200 teachers, and 30,000 audience members have seen the Life in a Jar performance in which I play the part of Irena. Millions of people have heard the message of respect and understanding through media agencies including the Today Show, Associated Press, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Warsaw Gazette, and CNN. Political and social leaders have also supported and publicized my mission to tell Irena’s story and fight discrimination and prejudice. Just this year I, along with other members of Life in a Jar, assisted the Polish government and Israel in Irena’s nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Through this project, I have had the opportunity to interact with people of Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Buddhist faith that come from every corner of this world and hail to every ethnicity. I realized that these people from all backgrounds were coming to the performance wanting to be a part of the hope that the children felt when Irena saved them and discover how they too can make a difference in this world.
Life in a Jar has become a non-profit foundation dedicated to telling the story of Irena Sendler. Though sadly, as each generation gets older, we are losing the heroic people of the Holocaust. The stories of those that survived as well as the legacies of those that did not, must continue to be told. This is the basis for the continued outreach of the play, and why I have also begun helping other teachers and students develop projects like Life in a Jar that promote cultural awareness. The web site, www.irenasendler.org was established to supplement Holocaust and tolerance education, and I plan to develop a curriculum guide to accompany a DVD of the play.
Since beginning this diversity project, I have been witness to an amazing change in my own community where diversity does not exist. Fellow students, teachers, friends, and family have developed a sensitivity and knowledge of other people and their cultures with whom we have connected. I believe that through continued commitment to teaching tolerance and understanding, this same result can be seen in every neighborhood, every nation, all around the world.
Believe it: Describe your project/org
Build it: Steps taken to create the project/org and the kind of impact made
Vital Stats
| Started On: | In 1999 when I was fourteen years old. | Ended On: | I plan to stand up for all people regardless of race, religion, or creed for as long as I can and continue to pass the message on to the next generation! |
| People Involved: | About 75 students, teachers, and volunteers are directly involved. | People Impacted: | Thousands |
| Money Raised: | Over $77,000 raised and sent to Poland to care for rescuers who like Irena saved Jewish people and have limited financial means. |
Project Updates:
Updates coming soon!
Life in a Jar
Megan Felt told the tale of a 97-year-old woman -- that might have been lost forever -- had it not been for Megan and her small town friends intent on rescuing the rescuer's story. They did it so compellingly, I did a story on them for the Today Show. Want to see it?
Life in a Jar: The Jar is Open (http://allday.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/03/14/90151.aspx)
Bob Dotson
American Story with Bob Dotson
NBC News Today Show
30 Rockefeller Plaza, Suite 1025 W-2
New York, NY 10112
[Office] (212) 664-6532
Megan Stewart-Felt
Beginning at age 14, Megan began a school history project about Irena Sendler, and changed the world. Because of her tenacity, her integrity and her faith in the ability of one person to change the world, she helped save Irena Sendler's story of WW II heroism, the rescue of 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw ghetto, from obscurity. Megan is so committed to the ideals of respect for all that she continues to tell Irena Sendler's story all over the world and now this once forgotten Polish Catholic, who rescued Jewish children is a hero in Poland. Because of Megan's efforts, the Polish people are facing their bitter WW II history - their shame and their heroism - and the remnants of anti-Semitism that persist today. Megan Stewart-Felt, a student of history, has become an agent of history - one person who has truly changed the world.
Megan Felt for the BR!CK Award
In my position as Senior Vice President at the Milken Family Foundation (www.mff.org), I have the opportunity to travel all over the country visiting hundreds of the top schools, meeting talented students, and working with influential people in education, business and the community at local, state and federal levels. I have known Megan Felt since 2004 when the Milken Foundation hosted Megan and the cast of Life in a Jar in Los Angeles. They performed the play here in 2004 and then again in 2007 for thousands of people in the Los Angeles area. I have been deeply impressed by the maturity of this young woman. She has faced tradegy in her own life, losing her mother at a young age yet has a kindness and commitment toward helping others that is singularly unique. She started this mission in high school and has devoted her life to teaching respect and understanding first through the remarkable story of Irena Sendler and now with projects that will be developed at the Lowell Milken Center in Fort Scott, Kansas to help schools and communities across the country and the world. Through the efforts of Megan, her teacher Norm Conard, and other cast members, Irena Sendler was a top contender for the Nobel Prize this year. Irena, herself, a Nobel nominee would state loudly that Megan is repairing the world. Megan has touched thousands of lives and only in her early twenties. She accpets accolades modestly such as an interview just this year on The Today Show. Personal rewards to Megan are merely another means that can provide a wider platform to teach respect and understanding and change the attitudes and actions of the world around us.
Br!ck Award
Megan has basically devoted her entire life since I've known her to this project. I know it is something near and dear to her heart, and know about much of the work she's put into seeing it stay alive. I remember our first year in college hearing her say her dream was to work to extend the Irena project as her career. So congrats to her for making her dream a reality, and good luck to continuing her work with the project.
I just came across the site
I just came across the site and registered. If these are the type of projects all over this site, I wish I had known about this earlier! What an amazing thing you're doing, Megan. I'm going to ask my aunt (who is a teacher) to e-mail you about starting a project. Good job!
Megan Felt for the Br!ck Award
I've seen this performance! My life has been changed since I heard about Irena and met Megan. I've become so much more aware of what one person can do for another. No matter how small it may seem to me, I know it means so much more to someone else.