The Greensboro Children’s Museum: Building for Tomorrow
By Guest Blogger Joe Rieke, Director of Advancement and Community, Greensboro Children’s Museum
It seems like everyone I meet has a story about the Greensboro Children’s Museum. It could be a love for our Big Red Chair, a memory of a long-ago exhibit like our newsroom, or a giddy giggle (often accompanied by small jumps of excitement) when talking about finally making it to the top of our 30-ft XXL Twin Climbers. No matter a person’s age – we’ve been around long enough that some of our first member parents are now well into being grandparents. Over the last two-plus decades the Museum has very obviously left an impression on many in the Triad community.
Whitney Houston said, “I believe that children are our future…” and that is so emphatically true! We know from experience that some of our young guests currently exploring the Museum will be back in twenty years. This time they will be with their own brood. They’ll be building new memories on top of old ones. These guests will have the same great Greensboro Children’s Museum experience, but in a very different way. They may even be thinking “Maybe someday my kids will bring their kids here!” And so, the cycle repeats!
As the Museum continues to grow and age, we must make a plan to serve these future generations. That plan is well under way! Our much-loved facility is going on 70 years old. While major improvements were made in the late 90’s many of those updates have been loved or weathered to a point of disrepair. The Greensboro Children’s Museum’s Building for Tomorrow capital campaign is hoping to raise just over $2,000,000. This campaign will lay a foundation for continued play and learning for generations to come. Funds will be used to make infrastructure and facility improvements such as roofing and HVAC updates as well as bathroom and exhibit improvements.
As a 501(c)3 non-profit, the Greensboro Children’s Museum relies on the generosity of our community. You help us achieve the lofty goal of bringing hands-on learning and play to downtown Greensboro. The community has rallied behind us from the onset. You have seen us through fantastic growth and the pandemic. You have already come out strong to support our latest effort! Last month we were thrilled to announce that a lead gift of $1,250,000 was made by Frank and Nancy Brenner in support of our campaign! We are beyond grateful to Frank and Nancy for this opportunity to forge ahead with our plans with such tremendous initial momentum. To show our appreciation, and to recognize the Museum’s reach beyond Greensboro and the Triad, the Museum will be re-named this summer. It will become the Miriam P. Brenner Children’s Museum (Brenner Children’s Museum).
We are incredibly excited to take this next step! Members and Visitors might notice only subtle changes to the Museum – but big changes are happening! We are truly Building for the Future in order to continue to support the next few generations of play and learning at 220 North Church Street. If you want to learn more about our campaign, please visit our campaign website at www.gcmuseum.com/bft or shoot me a note at jrieke@gcmuseum.com.
Come Play!
*Sponsored by the Greensboro Children’s Museum
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