聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 Although April 1 was Red Cross鈥� Pink Day, used to discuss bullying and issues surrounding it, Carlyle schools decided that they would host theirs on May 7. Why did the school decide to wait to hold their Pink Day? Being welcomed to speak on May 7 is Eva Olsson, a woman who uses her personal experiences of surviving the Holocaust as a way to discuss three items: the power of hate and the need to stop it, the importance of not being a bystander, and the importance of being compassionate and respectful towards each other and having that compassion and respect for yourself.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Olsson was born in Hungary in the early 1920s to a poor family. Being Jewish, Olsson and her family became ostracized and survived the Nazi concentration camps experiencing bigotry and racism on a large scale. Forced into a concentration camp, she experienced slave labour, disease, and death. She survived, finding strength in her faith. Olsson was liberated from the concentration camp determined to maintain a positive life.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Though she kept this difficult part of her life to herself for 50 years, she decided in 1996 to begin speaking about her life in hopes that people who hear her story will learn about being good to each other and learn about survival, so that no matter what life brings you that you can survive.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 A powerful speaker, she was described by freelance reporter Helena Long in the Regional Optimist in North Battleford last June when she spoke in Unity at the end of May as 鈥渁n elderly woman with a quiet unassuming manner,鈥� who was able to hold 鈥渟ome 400 teens spellbound for over an hour and moved them to their feet in a prolonged, emotional standing ovation after she finished speaking.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Olsson will be speaking at Arcola School in the morning, before presenting at G.F. Kells in the afternoon. She is then speaking at Carlyle Memorial Hall in the evening, at 7:30 p.m., which is open for anyone interested in the community to attend.
