Dear Friend,
Looking back at this year, I am very proud of how far we’ve come as an institution. It’s hard to believe that it’s been 20 years since a group of eight local moms came up with the idea for the Children’s Museum. In 2017, we welcomed over 75,000 visitors, expanded our educational outreach to include Head Start Centers across the East End of Long Island, offered Afterschool science enrichment at the Bridgehampton Child Care Center and at Project Most in East Hampton and Springs, and launched a successful STEM-based mentoring program for children of Spanish-speaking families. One reason we were able to expand these programs was the generosity of Museum supporters—the annual Family Fair Fundraiser broke attendance records, we finally had gorgeous weather for our Golf Outing, and our City Fete sold out!
The Museum’s next big initiative is the creation of a satellite site in Riverside—this piece in Riverhead Local offers a great explanation of the project. The new location will allow us to serve even more families living on the East End through a combination of field trips, family workshops, community activities, and after school programs. The size and scope of this opportunity it only matched by our excitement for it.
The location is slated to open its doors within a year so we’re currently developing a full calendar of programs. Like any project of this scale, we’re asking our Children’s Museum community to help support our growth with a contribution to our annual appeal. No matter how large or small the donation, your gift is instrumental in helping us achieve our mission, “to spark imagination and foster learning for children of all backgrounds and abilities and build strong connections within the East End community by providing playful experiences.”
If you have any thoughts on this planned expansion, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly. As always, I am grateful to receive any insights you can share.
Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!
All my best,
Steve