Our soldiers’ stories pbglifestyle.com
Posted on June 16, 2014 by Camber Clemence
“Into the Past: The World War II Experience” will be coming to West Palm Beach soon! It’s not a traveling art exhibit, or a movie that will pass through the theaters – it will be a permanent fixture on the G-Star School of the Arts campus.
The project’s website states that:
“It will be a place for parents and children to learn about our country’s sense of duty in one another’s company: a place for teachers and pupils to discover greater ways of understanding and education. It will be a place for families to feel and experience together how people just like us had the strength and courage to keep our country free. Here the older generation can recapture the nostalgia of days gone by, and the younger generation can savor the challenges of the future… The World War II Experience will be something of an exhibition, a community center and a museum of living facts, a theme park, a learning center and a showplace of true patriotism. It will be filled with the accomplishments, the joys and hopes of the world we live in. And it will remind us and show us how to make those ideals part of our own lives.”
One of G-Star’s greatest surprises to date has been the budding relationship between G-Star student Madison Lillard and Senator Bob Dole. After Dole granted a private interview with Project Founder, Dawn Hauptner, the ninth grader decided that she wanted to share Dole’s WWII experience with everyone through the “Into the Past” initiative.
Lillard hand-wrote a letter to Senator Dole and explained that she felt the students of G-Star and the surrounding community could benefit from his story – especially learning to overcome such harrowing and challenging obstacles.
Lillard is part of the school’s “Adopt a Veteran, Fallen Hero & Holocaust Survivor” program and has “adopted” WWW II Veteran Carl Arfa and asked Dole if she could “adopt” him as well and get the chance to tell his story for years to come.
Dole responded graciously, welcoming the “adoption” and sent a kind letter along with an autographed copy of his book, “One Soldier’s Story.”
G-Star is honored that Dole’s story will be displayed in the Victory Canteen, the first building of the project. Once complete, the “Into the Past: The World War II Experience” will be 60,000 sq. ft. with four newly constructed “futuristic” building featuring all-new technology that will allow you to experience history lessons like never before.
G-Star School of the Arts is located at 2030 S Congress Ave. in West Palm Beach. For more information on the project, the timing, or how to donate, visit www.ataagency.com.
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FLORIDA TREND MAGAZINE MAY 2014 ISSUE
Florida Trend Magazine is the State's premier business magazine. The entire May 2014 issue features the best of Palm Beach County's businesses, services, and cultural institutions. G-Star School of the Arts is proud to announce that we are the only company that received a full two-page spread in the magazine. It can be viewed at:
The G-Star School of the Arts is honored to be recognized among the esteemed powerhouse Palm Beach County businesses that Florida Trend assiduously chose to cover in categories such as, health care, corporate headquarters, biotech/life sciences, tourism, maritime industries, banking/financial/professional, real estate, sports, equestrian, research parks, airport, port & rail, travel & dining, and agriculture industries. The entire magazine issue can be viewed at:
Florida Trend was impressed with G-Star's accomplishments in education including being an "A" rated school, named in the top 1.2% of all high schools in the USA in academics by the Washington Post, honored with "The Silver School Award" by the US News & World Report, its International Baccalaureate World School Programme, and the fact that it is the only arts school to own its own movie studio and sound stage where our students work with major stars and famous producers and directors. It is also the safest school in the nation - no bullies, no drugs, no fights, no gangs. In London, G-Star was named "The Number One High School for Film in the World" by the Raindance Film Festival, Europe's largest independent film festival.
Greg Hauptner
Founder/CEO
G-Star School of the Arts for Film, Animation and Performing Arts
G-Star Studios
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
SENATOR BOB DOLE ENDORSES G-STAR'S $15 MILLION PROJECT, "INTO THE PAST: THE WORLD WAR II EXPERIENCE"
Palm Springs, FL ( March 23, 2014) G-Star School of the Arts (gstarschool.org) Founder/CEO, Greg Hauptner and "The World War II Experience" Founder, Dawn Hauptner, were recently invited to our Nations’ Capitol for a personal interview with Senator Bob Dole regarding G-Star's ambitious $15 million project, "Into the Past: The World War II Experience" (atagency.net). "World War II history is fading, along with the teaching of it," said Dawn Hauptner, the project's founder. "It's time to bring it back... but not as a book or pictures, and not even like a museum; we want students and the community- even the country, to come to Palm Beach County and be able to experience it." That's what caught the attention of political powerhouse Bob Dole. Senator Dole was most impressed with the fact that this is a high school building this highly unique educational project that will be a tribute like none other in the country to World War II Veterans and the Holocaust.
Senator Bob Dole is best known for his extensive and impressive political career. He served as a U.S. Senator from 1969-1996 holding the title of the "Nation's longest serving Representative Leader". Senator Dole won the Republican Party candidacy for President in 1996, running against Bill Clinton; and was selected by President Gerald Ford as his Vice Presidential running mate in the 1976 Presidential election. In more recent years, Senator Dole has been involved in numerous campaigns for different causes that affect our veteran's. He was National Chairman for the "World War II Memorial Campaign" in Washington DC where he raised $178 million, he is nationally acclaimed for his leadership on behalf of the disadvantaged and disabled, and he was co-chair for the "Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors"- for soldiers returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan. Of course, this only names a few of his many truly admirable contributions to our country. What some might not know is that Senator Dole is also a World War II Veteran. He served in the Army's 10th Mountain Division, enlisting in 1943 while a sophomore in college. Senator Dole, like many, was gravely wounded in combat and was awarded two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star.
G-Star's newest exciting endeavor, "Into the Past: The World War II Experience", has captured the interest and hearts of Palm Beach County. In his interview with Dawn Hauptner, Senator Dole stated, "I want to congratulate the G-Star School of the Arts for [taking on] this project of ‘The World War II Experience’. It's a wonderful opportunity for people to learn about World War II and to be certain that children understand what happened in World War II. There's a responsibility for us not to forget our veteran's." He went on the say, "It's an opportunity for people to contribute to a very worthy project, which will generate not only interest, but will help young people understand what human sacrifice is all about." Hauptner was honored to spend a considerable amount of time with Senator Dole talking about the importance of this project and some of its programs like the "Student's Adopting Veteran's" Program. When Hauptner explained how our student's will "adopt" a veteran or Holocaust family and build an exhibit together that will eventually be displayed in our future Victory Canteen Educational Learning Center, he loved the idea and said, "What I think would be nice is if you let your students take their "adopted veteran's" to school one day. I know the Veteran's would love it." He further stated, "This project will certainly be of interest to all the Veteran's Organizations and the Holocaust Survivors and their families. Part of the community’s responsibility is to not forget about our Veteran's; and G-Star's "Into the Past: The World War II Experience" is the first initiative I've heard of. I think the G-Star School should be highly commended, and I think we should give our thanks to G-Star for undertaking this project. Raising $15 million is not easy... but forgetting our Veteran's is not easy, either. I think it's a very sensible project.”
Contact:
561-818-6534
561-386-6275
G-STAR SCHOOL OF THE ARTS DEDICATES 1ST BUILDING IN $8 MILLION EDUCATIONAL PROJECT TO LOCAL WWII VETERAN
Graduation Day, June 1942... 18 year old Carl Arfa proudly throws his graduation cap into the air. It's a day he'll never forget. It not only signified his graduation from high school, but it was the day he left to go fight in World War II. A young kid, drafted. Being sent into battle to fight for our country and for our generations now so we can enjoy the freedom we take for granted.
On Saturday, March 8, 2014 at 2pm, G-Star School of the Arts (www.gstarschool.org) will be officially dedicating the headquarters building of our educational project, "into the Past: The World War II Experience" (www.atagency.net) to local World War II veteran Carl Arfa. The building will be named the "CARL ARFA (69TH INF DIV) WORLD WAR II EXPERIENCE COMMAND HEADQUARTERS". Carl will be joined by his family, friends, members of the community and a very special 9th grade student at G-Star, Madison Lillard, who will be presenting him with an exhibit depicting his contribution to the war, our country and our freedom. This exhibit is part of our new program "Student's Adopting Veteran's". In this program, our student's will "adopt" a World War II veteran, family of a fallen soldier, or a survivor or family of the Holocaust and put together an exhibit honoring them using personal stories, pictures, letters and memorabilia. These exhibits will all be displayed in our newly constructed Victory Canteen (named and styled after the WWII V for V Soldier Canteen in Palm Beach) which will be our first building of the school's $8 million educational project.
Carl Arfa is a World War II veteran of the Battle of the Bulge and liberation of Germany. He has spoken on the subject of World War II relating his personal experiences with films and photographs to over 15,000 students in the Palm Beach County School System to standing ovations. Mr. Arfa has volunteered and worked tirelessly in support of our "Into the Past: The World War II Experience" educational project and because of his complete and true dedication to our country during the war and his sincere dedication to the students in our community we would like to honor him by dedicating our headquarters building to him.
The commemoration ceremony will open at 2pm with a local World War II color guard, and will include speeches, renderings of the Victory Canteen, viewing of our student produced Veteran's Documentary, presentation of Carl's exhibit and the official dedication of the "Carl Arfa (69th Inf. Div.) WWII Experience Command Headquarters" building. G-Star has begun fundraising for this $8 million permanent educational project. The first phase is to fund and build the G-Star Victory Canteen, a $500,000 building which will be a multi-purpose building complete with a theatre, cafeteria/catering style dining and styled after the V for V Soldier Canteen in Palm Beach during the war.
Contact Dawn Hauptner 561-818-6534 dawnhauptner@gmail.com or Greg Hauptner 561-386-6275 greghauptn@aol.com
WWII veteran, Carl Arfa, under his sign of the newly dedicated headquarters building: "The Carl Arfa World War II Experience Command Headquarters"
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
5,000 Attend G-Star’s “Celebrate Veterans Big Memorial Day Classic Car & Bike Show”!
Palm Springs, FL (May 27, 2014) – G-Star School of the Arts’ first annual “Celebrate Veterans Big Memorial Day Classic Car & Bike Show” attracted a huge crowd of classic automobile and motorcycle aficionados. The show featured over 150 classic cars including the world’s fastest street car, the BADD Ford GT (283 MPH); the world’s fastest Corvette (250 MPH); the world’s most award winning show car, a 1954 Jaguar XK120; and fantastic cars from a 1929 Essex to a 1923 Ford bucket T to a 1939 Buick to a new Lamborghini super race car. Also featured were new $40,000 motorcycles and vintage bikes including the show-stopping 1929 Indian 4 motorcycle with sidecar. There were World War II exhibitions with memorabilia and dioramas of famous WWII battles that took up one half of the G-Star Studios expansive Sound Stage 1. The exhibits were topped off by tours inside a 1941 WWII Douglas C-47 Dakota Skytrain airplane that flew in D-Day at Normandy. The Memorial Day dedications to the men and the women of the Armed Forces were hosted by the Village of Palm Springs Mayor, the Honorable Bev Smith. Mayor Smith introduced speakers Florida Representative David Kerner, and County Commissioners Mary Lou Berger and Shelley Vana, who drew from personal experiences and reminded the audience of the sacrifices our men and women of the US Armed Forces have given for our freedom and our duty to support our troops into the future. “We had 5,000 people in attendance who were deeply moved by our wonderful guest speakers,” stated the show’s Founder and Director, Dawn Hauptner. “The Color Guard presentation by the US Navy Sea Cadets with The National Anthem sung by Cecilia Lauren shined. Cries of ‘God Bless America’ were heard throughout the crowd; and then we did the Pledge of Allegiance. And we can’t thank our show sponsors enough.” The show was sponsored by Gordon & Doner Law Firm, Richard S. Bernstein & Associates Insurance, SeaSide Bank & Trust, Walt Disney Resorts, and the Adult & Geriatric Health Center. G-Star partners in the event were Asphalt Angels, Honor Flight, Enforcers MC, Nam Knights MC and Vintage Iron Club. Country recording stars Cecilia Lauren and the Ocoee River Band and Grayson Rogers Band performed. Over 40 Raffle items were won including trips to Disney World and a ride in the BADD Ford GT.
