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Lauer Learning Launches ‘Southern Fried Pride’ -- a New Website that Focuses on the Preservation of Southern Heritage for Future Generations

Educational website adds new chapter to the company’s ‘pass it on…’ program -- designed to strengthen cultural appreciation

Roswell, GA – July 28, 2009 – An exciting, new website dedicated to preserving the rich and varied history and culture of the South, was unveiled recently by Lauer Learning, a multimedia educational company. Andrea Lauer Rice, the founder and CEO of the company, announced that the site will serve as a resource for children, parents and teachers to connect with their southern heritage through a mix of fun learning tools focused on the region and its wonderful history.

“Our new website, www.southernfriedpride.com, is the official launch of a new project that concentrates on preserving the legacy of the South for future generations,” said Lauer Rice, the architect of the successful educational program called Pass It On...!
“My passion for finding ways to pass on love of history and culture from generation to generation is what inspired me to create this program of ethnic preservation”.

Through study and experience, Lauer Rice recognized a definite trend suggesting that the cultural melting pot, so affectionately used to describe the American population, was inadvertently causing a negative side effect. “Simply put, many ethnic and cultural populations are losing interest in and knowledge of their heritage because of shifting social trends such as intercultural marriages, geographical relocation, and natural assimilation,” she explained. “In some groups we see less ethnic awareness and a weakening of interest in family heritage. So, we are creating ways to sustain rich cultures and histories while accepting the inevitable changes that are occurring.”

A key focus of Lauer Learning is to develop multimedia learning tools that help preserve culture by teaching children about customs, language and history. Lauer Rice, who was initially inspired by the recognition that her own Hungarian American legacy was beginning to disappear in the younger generation, said, “This awareness became the jumping-off point for our all inclusive educational program, Pass It On…, and is now being incorporated in much of our work.”

Lauer Rice sees that southern ethnicity is suffering from the effects of a changing economy and shifting generational priorities. As a result the South, a region of great importance to the history of the entire nation, is the new Pass It On…focus.

The Southern Fried Pride website is the introductory tool for Lauer Learning to establish a voice in this vibrant community of people interested in southern history and culture. Initially teachers and parents can find a variety of resources to use for various age levels as well as a challenging trivia game on southern culture, myths, traditions and the like. Users can also sign up for a weekly southern culture e-mail that will provide educational and fun factoids.

“I put the word ‘pride’ in the title because it gives young people new educational tools that teach about the many amazing things that have come from the South,” she said. “They can take pride in their heritage, develop a healthy perspective and knowledge of their background, and not be influenced by some of the negative stereotypes out there.”

She added that Lauer Learning plans to collaborate with a number of regional institutions to build community participation and support for the Pass It On… southern culture project and enrich the content of www.southernfriedpride.com. “Ultimately the website will become a portal for the other southern culture multimedia products we are creating, including a unique, educational book, Grits, Faith & Front Porch Swings, an online game and a Facebook application – all tools for families to pass on the story of the South and celebrate their heritage,” Lauer Rice said.