A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to attend the Imagine That! luncheon to raise money to fund free and reduced admission to the Hands On Children’s Museum in Olympia WA.
This was the first time I was invited, and I was overwhelmed by the community support. I counted about 300 people in attendance. The audience ranged from small business owners to educators, parents, physicians, politicians, community leaders, and more. It was really a whos-who for Olympia!
The Hands On Children’s Museum offers more than just a fun place for kids to learn and have fun with interactive displays. The museum has expanded and developed many programs to fit the needs of the community including art classes, sensory-friendly events, events where families can connect with local pediatric services, and lots of outdoor summer activities.
The main speakers were Dr. Marquita Davis who is the Deputy Director for Early Learning with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. I enjoyed her speech as she reminded us that the children in our community are ALL of OUR children. Providing support to programs like the museum offers that help with the growth, education and development of these young minds is a responsibility on all of us.
Traci Schneider is the founder of Ben’s Fund, named after her son. She shared her story of raising Ben being an autistic child. One story she shared was when she took Ben, who was three years old at the time, to the bookstore. There was a train set in the store that I’m assuming was part of the Thomas The Train books. Ben loved trains. But Traci knew that if just one thing went wrong, it would end up with Ben in tears for hours. And it did. One of the trains fell off the track. Ben was inconsolable for the next two hours.
Anywhere they would go in public, Traci would need to know where the nearest exits were, how far they were from the car, where the restrooms were and what were the quickest escape routes in case they needed to leave.
As she was telling this story, it made sense how important the programs at the Hands On Children’s Museum really are. Not only was Traci trapped and not able to go out but so was Ben. This museum offers a place for kids and parents where they can comfortably go, be with others, and have a successful outing.
Fortunately, there are many museums like this around the country. If there is one in your community, go check it out. You might just see for yourself what a valuable place this is for your neighborhood and you might just find yourself getting involved!