YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. – Students at Young Harris College recently planted 200 daffodil bulbs on the YHC campus as part of The Daffodil Project. This initiative was developed by Am Yisrael Chai, a nonprofit Holocaust education and awareness organization. Participants in The Daffodil Project aim to create a living Holocaust memorial by planting 1.5 million daffodils around the world in memory of the 1.5 million children who perished in the Holocaust and in support for children suffering in humanitarian crises in the world today.
“The project was brought to the attention of the campus after a Holocaust survivor did a special lecture on campus two years ago,” said YHC Dean of the Chapel and Chaplain Rev. Blair Tolbert. “The Daffodil Project seeks to educate and bring awareness to the international atrocity that was the Holocaust, in particular the deaths of so many children.”
The YHC grounds crew helped locate and prepare an area for the garden outside of the Rollins Campus Center. Tolbert worked with a group of 12 first year students to plant the daffodils. Many of the students who helped with the garden are Lettie Pate Whitehead Scholars or members of YHC’s Inter-Religious Council. The first 200 bulbs and a plaque were gifted by The Daffodil Project.
The initiative’s website, www.daffodilproject.net, notes that “the shape and color of the daffodils represent the yellow stars that Jews were forced to wear during the Holocaust. Yellow is the color of remembrance. Daffodils represent our poignant hope for the future. They are resilient and return with a burst of color each spring, signifying hope, renewal and beauty. The daffodils also honor those who survived the Holocaust and went on to build new lives after this dark and difficult period.”
About Young Harris College
Young Harris College is a private baccalaureate and master’s degree-granting institution located in the beautiful mountains of North Georgia. Founded in 1886 and historically affiliated with The United Methodist Church, Young Harris College educates, inspires and empowers students through an education that purposefully integrates the liberal arts and professional studies. The College has three academic divisions: Arts and Humanities, Professional Studies, and Mathematics, Science and Technology, with more than 1,400 students enrolled in its residential and Early College programs. The historic campus in Young Harris, Ga. has completed major campus improvements to accommodate the College’s growth. LEED-certified campus improvements include the 121,000-square-foot Rollins Campus Center, residence facilities and a 57,000-square-foot recreation and fitness center. The College is an active member of the NCAA Division II and remains a fierce competitor in the prestigious Peach Belt Conference. For more information, visit yhc.edu.
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