In 1996, Mike O’Krent became a volunteer interviewer for Steven Spielberg's Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, the largest oral history project captured on video in the world. The experience of interviewing Holocaust survivors rocked Mike’s world and led him to found Life Stories Alive, which records the life stories of individuals, couples and siblings for their families before it’s too late. Mike’s own father and grandfather died before he could capture their stories, so he vowed not to make the same mistake with his mother. Mike talks about getting hooked on the process of storytelling, why it’s important for us to know our elders’ histories and about his mission of helping others unearth stories of their loved ones that in many cases they’ve never told anyone before.

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Got a story to share? Email us any time at jana@agewyz.com

Learn more about LifeStories Alive
"Being Humble Is Nothing to Brag About" by Mike O'Krent (8/27/2018)
Mike's list of 15 Powerful Lifestory Questions to Ask Your Loved One

Music:
“early rising” by Dlay | CC BY NC ND | Free Music Archive
“Arashi” by Kakurenbo | CC BY NC | Free Music Archive