Lauer Learning Founder Participates in Local Commemoration of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956

Accounts of Family Experiences and Memories Highlight the Event

Roswell, GA - October 18, 2009 - Local members of the Hungarian American community gathered at a recent ceremony to commemorate and celebrate the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. The event, held at the Roswell Presbyterian Church, was part of the continuing effort to strengthen the Hungarian American community in the area and preserve cultural and historical legacies.

The program was organized by the Atlanta Hungarian Meet-up Group and the Hungarian Community Church of Georgia (HCCG). Over 75 attendees enjoyed a program of singing, music, poetry and heard personal stories and testimonials from Hungarian Americans living in the area. Lauer Learning and the GulyasPot.com co-sponsored a multimedia exhibit, which included a display of pictures, newspapers and other artifacts from 1956. The GulyasPot.com is an online community website for Hungarian Americans. It was developed by Lauer Learning and the Hungarian American Coalition.

Andrea Lauer Rice, a second-generation Hungarian-American and the founder and CEO of Lauer Learning , a multimedia educational company that creates innovative ways to teach children about history, foreign languages and culture, shared her story of growing up in a family, many of whom escaped Hungary following the 1956 Revolution. She told the group how their experiences profoundly molded her beliefs and was inspirational in her creation of a program called ‘Pass It On…’ which focuses on disseminating cultural and historical information to the next generation.

Lauer Rice also read the story of Lilly Farkas, whose husband Imre escaped from prison after over five years of confinement during the Revolution. Csaba Siffel, member of the HCCG, read the Hungarian-language story of Tibor Sarkady, a Freedom Fighter. Both stories were part of the Lauer Learning effort to gather personal testimonials from 1956. They are both accessible on the www.FreedomFighter56.com oral history website and published in "56 Stories: Personal Recollections of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution: A Hungarian American Perspective."

"It is wonderful how the Hungarian American community has grown locally," said Lauer Rice. "Coming together to celebrate and hear these enlightening and moving stories about the Revolution keeps our legacy alive in our hearts and minds. I am proud to be a part of this commemoration and have my family here with me to participate in passing on our heritage to younger generations."