Dear friend,
Does CMEE really make a difference for families? I know it has for my son by helping him develop his gross motor skills, social interactions and appreciation of music. Yet, I was curious about other families. During “Ciencia en CMEE,” our bilingual afterschool science program, I asked three moms whose children participate in the weekly class to share their experience. I was very touched by what Diana, Erika and Sandra had to say:
“What we like best about CMEE is the feeling of community. Our children feel at home here. They’re free to be themselves, and they are not afraid to speak up or ask questions during the programming. They love to play with the other kids in the Museum, pretending to cook in the new kitchen exhibit or visiting Domino the rabbit.
“CMEE helps parents realize dreams for their children. When we arrived in the East End from Ecuador, Colombia and Mexico, we had dreams for ourselves, but did not know how to realize dreams for our children. The CMEE programs give our kids ideas for the future, what they can be and what they accomplish. Rather than working at a restaurant, they can go to college and become professionals.
“CMEE has enabled us to meet new people and learn new things. Before coming to the Museum, we didn’t know many people, but now we make play dates, we go to the library, and we ask teachers questions about our children. Now, we are not afraid that people will laugh when we talk…or not hear us at all.
“We really love that we can ‘give back’ to the Museum, too. Last spring, we created a Feria (a festival at CMEE that was attended by over 400 people) with Latino food, music and crafts. Things like the Feria help us show our kids about being part of this country. We are going to make the Feria even better next year.”
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You can read more about Ciencia en CMEE in this recent article from the New York Times.
I thought Diana, Erika and Sandra so perfectly described the Museum’s mission that I wanted to share it with you. As the year starts drawing to a close, I hope you’ll help support CMEE’s efforts to serve the needs of families in our community. Please make a gift today so that families can continue to participate in important programs for the community like CMEE’s afterschool programs, partnership with Head Start, and family literacy classes.
Sincerely,
Steve