DuPage Children's Museum to receive $100K grant
DuPage Children's Museum is using a $100,000 grant from Open Road Alliance, an advised fund of Silicon Valley Community Foundation, to support the museum's new AWEsome Energy exhibit.
Open Road Alliance is a private philanthropic initiative that provides grant capital to nonprofits for projects facing an unexpected roadblock.
AWEsome Energy is the largest initiative in the DuPage Children's Museum's nearly 30-year history and represents years of research and testing with a team of educators, scientists, business leaders, parents and children.
AWEsome Energy will create an immersive, interactive experience in three integrated sections: Air, Water and Electricity. As children explore the scientific forces that power our world, they will build creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The new exhibit will allow the museum to fulfill its passion to educate and inspire children's desires to be persistent and engaged learners as they take on the challenges of the world they inherit.
AWEsome Electricity opened in June 2012, and AWEsome Water and AWEsome Air are scheduled to open within the next year. The $100,000 grant from Open Road Alliance will be used to complete the infrastructure for AWEsome Water while the museum is temporarily closed for rebuilding after a pipe burst Jan. 8 and flooded all three stories of the museum. By completing the infrastructure for AWEsome Water now, the exhibit area will be closed for a shorter time when it is completed in 2016.
"We are thrilled that Open Road Alliance is able to support us now with this generous grant. It will continue the forward momentum of this exciting exhibit, AWEsome Energy," said Susan Stellmacher, the museum's director of development. "We're so fortunate to have the opportunity to take care of Water's infrastructure while we are closed. This funding will help to ensure the least amount of impact to the public during installation of the final exhibit."
AWEsome Energy is a $1.5 million permanent exhibit and education initiative that will cover one-quarter of the museum's 17,000-square-foot exhibit space. To find out more about AWEsome Energy and how you can make an impact, contact Stellmacher at (630) 637-8000, ext. 2400, or sstellmacher@dupagechildrensmuseum.org.