CHILDREN’S DISCOVERY

MUSEUM

Annual Report 2018

From the Children:

“This is the most awesome place ever! I wish I could stay longer because it is so cool.”

“This was an amazing experience for me.”

“It’s the most fun place!”

“I really like it and it’s FUN!”

Executive Board

President: Erin Harnish, M.D., Pediatrician, PeaceHealth

Vice-President: Sandy Junker, Retired Director, Lower Columbia College Head Start

Treasurer: Chris Edgren, CPA, Futcher Group

Secretary: Lauren Morin, LICSW, PeaceHealth

Board Members

Jeane Conrad, System Director, PeaceHealth

Bea Rush, RN, BSN

Jennifer Leach, WSU 4H Faculty

Ann Cordero, Willapa Hills Audubon Society

Kristine Langley, Early Head Start Manager

Kathie Griffin, Executive Director, Parents’ Place

Lindsey Cope, Cowlitz Economic Development Council

STAFF

Dawn Morgan, Executive Director

Travis Wallingford, AmeriCorps Member

Ann Little, AmeriCorps Member

Mission Statement

The Children’s Discovery Museum will provide a fun and safe environment to encourage kids and families to learn, engage and have time for imaginative and interactive play together.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

A Letter from Board President, Erin Harnish, MD

The Children’s Discovery Museum is happy to share good news as we grew in our hours of operations and welcomed even more children and families this year! We are a hands-on museum with exhibits designed for interactive play to engage children and the adults who bring them for quality fun time together. In a world that is forever burdened with troubles, we remain a happy and hopeful place for families to share time focused on kids and their interests, learning and imagina-tion. We have been able to keep our museum open and free because of all of this amazing ongoing effort and generous support from our community partners, individuals, business and corporations.

Our exhibits are growing and changing as we mature and develop as a museum. We have something for everyone, be it visiting at our Healthy Market featuring kid-size shopping carts, exploring the Nature Niche to touch real items from the sea, mountains or forest, experimenting at the Wind Tunnel or building at the Giant Lincoln Logs. We keep adding new items to experience play, like Giant Connect 4, or sitting down to learn Snap Circuits or play school. Our goals are to enhance engagement and keep up with the high demand for fun and learning.

The Children’s Discovery Museum is lucky to have the most dedicated Executive Director at its helm as she supervises a team of committed AmeriCorps members and devoted volunteers to make all these services available to our community. We have an active, talented and energetic Board of Directors and have deepened our structure with committees, forming a network of stability. We will continue to build this broad foundation for the museum’s longevity and quality. The ac-complishments and tireless ongoing efforts of the staff, volunteers, and board is noteworthy.

With Gratitude,

Erin Harnish M.D. Children’s Discovery Museum, Board President

Quotes from Adults:

“I brought my two children here and we were so impressed! The stations were interactive, organized, educational and clean. Both of my kiddos had a blast and we will definitely return.”

“This is wonderful! I’m so very excited that we have this children’s museum here in Cowlitz County. My granddaughter is 3 and loving every minute of it. 5 stars.”

“Great place to take the kids to learn, play, and make new friends on a budget. I love this place! Thanks guys!”

“I’m so glad to find a place like this in Kelso/Longview. I hope this museum stays long enough for my child to grow out of it!”

“This place is amazing! Thank you for such an incredibly fun experience!”

“What a wonderful place for children to be free to explore! Creative play areas and helpful volunteers made this a wonderful experience.”

“The first thing that my son said when he woke up this morning was, “Mom, are you so excited to go to the museum today? I’m so excited!”

A VOLUNTEER STORY—Ann M. Little

I am proud to be a returning second term AmeriCorps member serving at the Chil-

dren’s Discovery Museum (CDM). I have had the pleasure of meeting and forming

unique relationships with kids and parents alike. Our child led philosophy allows chil-

dren to be in charge of their own learning and exploration at CDM. If a child wants to

spend an hour and a half shopping for groceries, or half an hour launching and re-

launching a balloon in the Wind Tunnel, or two minutes dancing they are free to do

just that. I have often been involved in grocery shopping, then dancing and dress up

and winding up in the medical area listening to the baby dolls’ hearts with a stetho-

scope. Children and adults are given the opportunity to observe and learn how to

get along with each other, take turns, share, dance, tell stories through puppets, cre-

ate art, explore the natural world through a microscope and create new friends. All

of these experiences spark conversations between the parents, children and volun-

teers that often lead to unknown commonalities between us. It is the unwritten

motto of the Museum, if we don’t know an answer to a question, we can send you to

where you can find out. It is through this type of unstructured and fluid learning en-

vironment that a special community is being born and fostered.

We love these kids and get to watch their natural talents develop and celebrate with

them new found, “ah ha” moments. There is nothing better in life than to see a

child’s eyes light up in delight after figuring out how to add a porch to the log house,

print their name on harmonograph art that they will hang on the refrigerator or bed-

room wall, or put on a life jacket in preparation for a long adventure rowing in the

raft. My supervisor, Dawn Morgan, taught me the most calming and gentle thing to

remind a child who is crying because they don’t want

to leave the Museum. “We’ll be here when you

come back.” I appreciate and applaud the dedication

and effort that it takes to keep the mission of the

Children’s Discovery Museum moving forward!

WANT TO VOLUNTEER?

If you are interested in volunteering, please email us at:

Childrensdiscoverymuseum360 @gmail.com

In-kind (Volunteer) Hours

2018 Attendance—10,912

1,846 Hours

169 Youth/Adult Volunteers

FINANCIAL REPORT

Anonymous AmeriCorps Veryl & Larry Anderson Mike & Sally Bartlett Michael Bartlett Anne Bennett Arthur & Mary Birkmyer Melissa Brinkerhoff Dave & Janet Brown Child & Adolescent Clinic Jeane Conrad Mark & Julie Conway David & Ann Cordero Corwin Family Foundation Cowlitz PUD Katherine Demarest Erica Diede Kirby Drake Megan Dudley Chris Edgren Nancy Everly Family Practice/Pediatrics—PeaceHealth F. Fozounmayeh Futcher Group Kim Ganter Ida Gaspro Diane Glase Goodwill Industries Steve & Diana Gragg Marquita Green Sandy Haas Kent & Cindy Haldorson Stephanie Halver

Stephanie Halver Eric Hanich Happy Kids Dentistry Pete & Erin Harnish Lauren Hendricksen Mary Huels Daniel Huhta Rick & Karen Johnson Darren Joy Junior Service League Ron & Sandy Junker Mike & Teri Karnofski JH Kelly Kristine Keough Sandy Keranen Robert & Pauline Kirchner KLOG, KUKN, 101.5 THE WAVE Karen Knorr David & Sarah Koss Teresa Lassen Jennifer Leach Ramona Leber Laura Leggett Love Abounds Foundation Ann Little Shirley Lutz Gene & Judith Lynch Jim Macleod Ron Marshall Jonathan May Mark & Theresa McCrady Joe & Dawn Morgan Richard & Hazel Morgan

Paul & Lauren Morin Laureate Alpha Mu John Paul Elaine Peetz Patricia J. Peterson Stephanie Philbrook Kay Purcell Phillip & Denise Robb Brigitta Robinson Jori Scruggs-Brown William & Penelope Sells Sharon Shope Mark & Rosemary Sipola Bob Snow Karla Spromberg Terry Strommel Ian Thompson Three Rivers Mall United Way Bob & Mary West Mary Wheeler Willapa Hills Audubon Society Mary Wingate Wollenberg Foundation Paul & Ella Youmans We received many in-kind donations of hours, materi-als, supplies, and expertise from companies, agencies, groups, individuals and community supporters. With-out this collaborative effort, all of what we have accomplished would not have been possible.

We thank our donors and community partners!

Website: childrensdiscovery360.org Email: childrensdiscoverymuseum360@gmail.com Like Us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/childrensdiscoverymuseum

2018 Annual Report

Children’s Discovery Museum