American Red Cross honors Holocaust survivor as 2020 Global Citizenship Hero

The American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois is honoring Holocaust survivor Fritzie Fritzshall of Skokie as the 2020 Global Citizenship Hero.

A survivor of the Holocaust, Fritzshall has dedicated her life to combatting hatred, racism and intolerance. As president of the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center in Skokie, she is ensuring future generations learn about the Holocaust so that history will not repeat.

At the age of 13, Fritzie, her mother and two brothers, were sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, and only Fritzie survived.

In 1978, when a neo-Nazi group threatened to march in Skokie, Fritzie made it her mission to educate children about this dark time in history. She has dedicated her life to tell her story and the stories of the many others who did not survive. Today, Fritzie is a leading public voice of conscience in Chicago.

"Fritzie Fritzshall's story is one of resiliency. She has dedicated her life to tell the stories of many whose voices couldn't be heard. As a survivor of her Holocaust, she wants to make sure that history doesn't repeat itself by providing a place to educate our community about the sad events that took place during World War II" said Celena Roldán, chief executive officer of the American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois.

For the past 18 years, the Chicago & Northern Illinois Red Cross has honored each class of heroes at its Heroes Breakfast, typically attended by nearly 1,000 individuals.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chicago & Northern Illinois Red Cross is unable to host this event in person, but will honor this class of heroes via traditional and social media coverage beginning Tuesday, April 14.

Follow them @chicagoredcross on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to watch these heroes tell their stories of determination, resilience and kindness.

You can also join the American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois on LinkedIn as they tell stories of these "Everyday Extraordinary" individuals.

The American Red Cross invites you to help share these stories with your friends and family across social media.

Additional honorees were selected in 11 community service categories. "Heroes" were chosen by an independent committee of leaders in the business and civic community. For the complete list of 2020 Heroes, visit redcross.org/heroes.

Thank you to all our generous sponsors, including: Better, Edwardson Family Foundation, Kirkland & Ellis, CSX, KPMG, Walgreens and to media sponsor CBS 2.

The American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois serves 9.5 million people in 21 counties, including Boone, Bureau, Carroll, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Jo Daviess, LaSalle, Lake, Lee, McHenry, Ogle, Putnam, Stephenson, Whiteside, Will and Winnebago.

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families.

The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission.

For more information, visit redcross.org/il/chicago or Twitter.com/ChicagoRedCross.