Spanish 
Unlock Potential! Campaign Update
JULY 2024
CAMPAIGN GOAL:
$15M
PLEDGED TO DATE:
$5.47M (36%)
Greetings from Staci Pastis, UP! Campaign Chair
I have the honor of being invited to chair the Unlock Potential (UP!) capital campaign for the Children’s Museum of Sonoma County (CMOSC). If you’ve been to the Children’s Museum, then you understand why I couldn’t say no. It is magical!
I believe that providing a dedicated place for experiential play is essential for brain development, imagination, and good old-fashioned healthy no-screen fun.
Ten years ago when the Children’s Museum opened, we didn’t realize the hole that it would fill existed. Now we find that the demand for it has grown to a breaking point and expansion is necessary in order to continue serving our community. Thousands of children will benefit from it every year – the Museum is truly bursting with potential!
With a working total of $15M for construction and new exhibits, we are thrilled that over $5M has been raised so far – more than a third of the way toward the goal!
A lot has happened with the campaign since you last heard from Collette (read on for those updates). Help us spread the word about the essential need for this expansion for our community. I would love to hear your thoughts and ask you to share the campaign overview with anyone you think might be interested in supporting the UP! campaign.
I look forward to keeping you updated quarterly and together we will succeed in making the Children’s Museum even more magical and spectacular!
All my gratitude,
Staci Pastis
Project Progress
CMOSC signed a contract with Bisbee Architecture & Design in May 2024 and meetings with sub-contractors have begun. In addition, work on the exhibit master plan is in progress. Check out the images below to see the current draft site plans, including exhibit areas included in the expansion:
Community Conversations
Community Conversations are underway to solicit critical feedback that will figure prominently in shaping the overall exhibit and site master plan, driving decisions about universal design, and building support within the community for the expansion efforts.
Three have already been held (Museum super-users, Parents of children with accessibility challenges, and Latinx Museum members). Additional conversation events are being planned to engage the Native American community, our key community partners, neighborhood schools, and pre-teens and teens (ages 10-15).
Awareness Parties
Several super fun house parties have been held to broaden awareness of the campaign and lay the groundwork for support of the expansion. These informal gatherings are key to helping get the word out about WHY the Museum needs to expand, WHAT that expansion looks like, and HOW the community can help.
If you’d like to host a house party yourself, please let us know!
Exhibit Sneak Peek: Delta’s Voyage
Many exciting new exhibits are planned for the museum expansion! From a maker space and ceramic studio for older children to a two-story indoor climber and expanded TOTopia, the new expansion will be extraordinary. We’re delighted to share the details of one such exhibit with you:
“Delta’s Voyage,” a 700sf space on the 1st floor within the proposed expansion, will be a portal to the breathtaking world of the ocean that fosters connections among visitors. Leveraging the science of childhood brain development, the exhibit allows children to gain a deeper understanding of California’s marine life and its interconnectedness to the world.
CMOSC will collaborate on this exhibit with The Hydrous – a renowned nonprofit fostering ocean empathy and marine stewardship – to offer a unique educational odyssey. An imaginative narrative will feature “mermaids” inspired by real-life female marine biologists and oceanographers whose work will be showcased throughout the exhibit.
In addition, a fictional mermaid character named Delta will guide guests on an unforgettable simulated dive through California’s kelp forests to coral reefs worldwide and all the rich marine life in between.
Visitors will also learn about the real-life stressors affecting California’s coastline and coral reefs around the world while discovering solutions and individual actions they can take in their daily lives to contribute positively to the ocean and the environment at large.
As the exhibit master plan and designer collaborations take shape, we look forward to offering you other glimpses into the exciting experiences that await our future Museum guests! Thank you for your interest in CMOSC’s expansion efforts and unlocking the potential in every child.
UP, Up, and Away!
New Features at a Glance
