Give Wonder 2014

Your contribution can take wing as a newly-emerged butterfly, light up a child’s face doing hands-on experiments in the Lab, help bring a traveling exhibit to our community, or maintain our outdoor learning environments critical to families, teachers and students.

Your gift bringslearning to life

> Ways of Giving> Ways of Giving

http://lifeandscience.org/get-involved/donate-and-support

. . . in the power of curiosity to lead a healthier, happier, and smarter life. In everything we do, our focus is to activate curiosity, nurture a sense of wonder, and inspire the passion to learn.

Never in our history has it been more important for all of us to embrace science as a way of knowing—to understand and to engage with an increasingly complex world.

We believe . . .



You can be a part of our success!



Over the course of our 67-year history the Museum has grown dramatically, from a simple trailside nature center into an 84-acre science park and science center.

We’ve grown…

This was our first time at the Museum – and boy, oh boy – it is WAY more than just a boring old museum. It is interactive, outdoors, stimulating for the senses and so much more!



For 2013-2014, the Museum is counting on our friends and supporters to help us raise $591,000 in private support (or nearly 9% of our annual operating budget). At the same time, we are seeking capital funds for projects to improve the learning experience for our visitors.

…and are still growing.



Our members and visitors explore a wide range of topics. They have opportunities to: • tinker with simple machines and emerging technologies.• see live animals native to North Carolina as well as exotics.• perform experiments and participate in interactive

programs facilitated by educators and volunteers.

From aerospace to zoology…



The Museum offers nearly 300 hands-on exhibits across our accessible campus and 1.4 miles of outdoor trails.

Our frequent special events, traveling exhibits, partnerships with Triangle science organizations and wide-ranging programs offer an incredible diversity of exploration and free-choice learning.

We share what we know



Here, with immersive experiences and programs, children develop a love of learning that lasts a lifetime.

Experience science!



Our exhibits and outdoor environments engage people of all ages.

Additionally, we host exclusive events geared for older audiences to delve deeper into current topics in science.

NOT just for kids!



People come to the Museum to explore their own interests. Our space and design offer environments suited for small groups to explore, talk and interact comfortably and support social, informal learning.

“Free-choice learning”

Wow! We've been members for more than a year, and yesterday was the first time we got past the butterfly house. I am so impressed by the Dinosaur Trail and the wetland exhibit, bears and lemurs and Into the Mist exhibit.... We are going to be spoiled for any place else!



Locally, the Museum has won many awards, including being voted “Best Area Museum” for five years running by Carolina Parent Magazine.

Nationally, the Museum is a governing member of ASTC (Association of Science and Technology Centers) and is a contributor to the informal learning field through collaboration with leading science centers across the country.

Best Area Museum!



The Museum has a passionate audience of members and visitors.

Most of our $6.8 million operating budget comes from our patrons as membership, admission and program fees.

We do love the Museum, especially the new labs and experiments. And our kids absolutely love the mist exhibit. The origami is a big hit as well!! The adults in our family enjoy the lemurs.

We are loved…



Durham County is a strong partner with the Museum, providing over $1 million in annual funding (about 18% of our operating budget).

And the Museum is a strong partner for Durham, generating $13.9 million in annual economic impact, a critical partner for our schools and part of our regional quality of life. The State of North Carolina makes a grant of about $200,000 annually, which provides 3% of our annual operating budget.

We help each other



3 Great Reasons to Get Involved



Support public understanding of science for our region

A growing number of recent reports call for action in improving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.

#1



By supporting the Museum as part of our educational ecosystem, we are able to share science with many people – children and families, students and teachers, adults and seniors – and inspire them for a lifetime.

Support public understanding of science for our region#1

. . . From the moment we entered the Museum, the little ones were grabbing my hands and pulling me from display to display with exclamations of “Hey, Mom, look at this!” …On the way home, my seven-year-old happily sighed, “This was the best day ever!”



As an informal learning center, our Museum is an essential resource for schools – as a living laboratory bringing curriculum to life, for skilled educators who deliver educational programming or for hands-on learning kits that provide everything teachers need to deliver interactive learning.

Support public understanding of science for our region#1



Provide access to families in needWe provide free days and discounts, but our best means of serving those in need is through our Ignite Learning subsidized membership program, delivered in partnership with about 10 local social services agencies.

#2



Provide access to families in need#2

I’m less socially isolated now as a young mother.

Taking my daughters to the Museum helped me pass the GED.

We now have over 200 families in Ignite Learning using their $5 family membership with the remaining cost provided by donors.



Ignite Learning is a powerful force for change in our community, and we need community support to meet our goal of 500 Ignite Learning families.

We also seek support for Ignite Learning summer camp scholarships to provide needed family support and summer learning opportunities.

Provide access to families in need#2



Keep us a strong community partnerThe Museum is a valued part of our community’s quality of life and attractiveness as a place to work and live.

The Museum offers an expansive and safe campus for families to explore in the midst of our increasingly urban environment.

#3



The Museum is also a partner for many organizations. The Museum’s Board of Directors is highly engaged in monitoring results and providing strategic leadership, and the Museum has a strong record of performance.

Keep us a strong community partner#3



From this solid foundation, the Museum can serve as a community partner by providing:

• Daily free admission to children under 3 years old (benefitting over 20,000 of the Triangle’s littlest learners and their families).

• Volunteer and service opportunities for youth and adults (about 19,000 volunteer hours per year!).

• A visible demonstration of green initiatives, including solar panels, electric car charging station, rain garden and motion sensor activated lighting.




• Passes to other nonprofits and

schools to support their fundraising events (we provide about 300 family passes per year).

• Educational programming to some of Durham’s neediest schools to help improve academic performance (our educators are at Y.E. Smith Elementary School every week).




YOUR GIFT

makes it happen!



Ways of giving

> Annual Fund> Annual Fund

> Business Member> Business Member

> Supporting Member> Supporting Member

> Capital Campaign> Capital Campaign

> Planned Giving> Planned Giving

Contact:

Alicia Heacock [email protected] (919) 220-5429 x352 Julie Ketner Rigby [email protected] (919) 220-5429 x317

mailto:%[email protected]

mailto:%[email protected]


http://lifeandscience.org/get-involved/member/business

http://lifeandscience.org/get-involved/member/supporting

http://lifeandscience.org/about-us/climbing-higher

http://lifeandscience.org/get-involved/donate-and-support/legacy-gifts