What We Fund

The Helis Foundation is now supporting free field trips and transportation to up to 2,000 elementary and secondary school students throughout the Greater New Orleans area in 2020. Students may visit Le Musée de f.p.c., a house museum part of the McKenna Museums dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of free people of color, for free through the program.

“Our goal is to reach as many 2,000 students throughout 2020” says Kimberly Coleman, McKenna Museums’ curator and historian. “Our school tours are designed to meet the education benchmarks in English/Language Arts, History, and Art for students in grades 7 through 12. Each student tour group will consist of 25 students accompanied by three chaperones. Each guided tour lasts 30 minutes with a 30-minute breakout session that will include a Q&A session.” The McKenna Museums’ staff has reached out to dozens of area schools, extending free field trips to student groups. The field trips will be scheduled on a first come, first served basis throughout the year.

“The Helis Foundation hopes these free tours will engage and inspire learning and understanding among our young people,” said Jessie Haynes, Managing Director of The Helis Foundation. “Preserving our region’s unique history is of utmost cultural importance.” The McKenna Museums is one institution in two locations, with each telling a different story. Beverly McKenna, co-founder and executive director of McKenna Museums, is excited about the opportunity to make McKenna Museums more accessible to students with the generous grant from The Helis Foundation.

“Our museums have always been field trip destinations for school children,” says McKenna. “Students, teachers and other chaperones rave about their visits—the art, the history and culture that they encounter. Unfortunately, we began to hear one common echo from educators that accompanied students; and that refrain was that while the students gained invaluable knowledge from the tour, the costs associated with field trips were prohibitive, not only for the schools, but for the students and their parents. We are thankful to The Helis Foundation because this grant will allow area to students come and immerse themselves in wonderful history without worrying whether if they or their parents can afford it.”

The grant will fund both the cost of admission for the schools and, when needed, transportation.

Learn more about The McKenna Museums at www.themckennamuseum.com and www.lemuseedefpc.com