Army Heritage Center Foundation facts for kids

The Army Heritage Center Foundation (AHCF) is a special group that helps the United States Army. It's a non-profit organization, which means it doesn't make money for itself. Instead, it works with the Army and other partners to build and support the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center (USAHEC) in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

The main goal of the AHCF is to make sure that two important buildings at USAHEC get built. They also create and support educational programs and ways to reach out to the public. The foundation works with many different groups, like the state of Pennsylvania, local governments, companies, and regular people.

The AHCF started in 1997 and became an official organization in 1999, first called the Military Heritage Foundation. In 2002, when the USAHEC was created, the foundation changed its name to the Army Heritage Center Foundation. This new name showed that their main focus was to help build and support this important Army center. When they work with the Army to develop USAHEC, they aim to:

• Honor soldiers and their families.
• Keep and share historical items like old papers, photos, and art.
• Help people learn more about the history of the United States and the U.S. Army.

In 2010, the AHCF finished building the first part of the Visitor and Education Center at USAHEC. Now, they are raising money to build the second part, which will have more space for exhibits and meetings. Once the Visitor and Education Center and the Army Heritage Museum are complete, the foundation will focus on making the experience even better for visitors and creating new, exciting educational programs. You can also support them by becoming a member or buying special bricks and pavers.

Learning About History

The Education Department at the AHCF creates learning materials based on all the amazing things kept at the Army Heritage and Education Center. These materials teach about how American soldiers have helped shape the history of the United States and the world. Some of their projects have included:

• CD-ROMs.
• A book and DVD set called Army Nurses of World War One: Service Beyond Expectations.
• Educational content on the foundation's website.

The AHCF also honors Russell F. Weigley, a famous military historian who taught at Temple University. They give a special award to the best paper about military history presented at the annual Barnes Club Conference in Philadelphia.

The Education Department also works with local schools to create an oral history program. They train high school and middle school students and teachers to interview veterans. This helps collect and save the personal stories of those who served.

Other fun programs include:

• A summer camp for young people.
• A youth leadership program.
• Breakfasts for veterans.
• Special events to remember important moments in history.

The Education Director also helps organize National History Day in Pennsylvania, which is a big event where students do projects about history.