Between the Strong Museum in Rochester and the Buffalo Museum of Science, Greater Buffalo youth have been able to access quality creative play and learning opportunities for years. With the advent of the new 40,000 square foot Explore & More Children’s Museum, boys and girls will have an additional chance to immerse themselves in a world of year round youthful, fun-filled educational activities that will be both Buffalo-centric and readily available.
With each passing month, the momentum is building for Explore & More, slated to open at Canalside in 2016. To add to the momentum, last week an anonymous donor contributed over $370,000 via the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo. The significant sum of money will allow the museum to move forward with the following two exhibits:
- Canal Works within the Moving Water Education Play Zone (lead image), which will focus on the importance of water to Buffalo
- A house representing a culture of a growing Buffalo immigrant population in the Being Good Neighbors Educational Play Zone
“This generous family asked the Community Foundation to explore funding opportunities that align with their charitable goals and the Explore & More Children’s Museum rose to the top,” said Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker, President/CEO of The Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo. “Since this family wishes to remain anonymous, I’m delighted to be here representing their contribution and to share in the joy that this significant investment will bring to Western New York families for generations to come.”
These funds will help the museum along, with its ambitious goal to open on the city’s waterfront in two years. Other recent donations brought to the table by the Community Foundation were $300,000 from the John R. Oishei Foundation and $50,000 from the Peter C. Cornell Trust. Another $100,000 was awarded through the Community Foundation’s 21st Century Fund.
“We are committed to every phase of this project,” explained Robert Gioia, Oishei Foundation President. “The addition of a children’s museum to Buffalo’s waterfront will be a great benefit to the whole community. We hope the community follows our lead in supporting the Museum not only in the planning phase, but in the building phase of the project and beyond.”
“It’s not too often a project like this comes along that really benefits the entire community,” said Peter C. Cornell Trustee Jock Mitchell. “Explore & More at Canalside is a home run. We are happy to be a part of a project that will benefit the local economy and provide critically important informal learning activities for the children of Western New York.”
“We are humbled by the early support that we have received from so many local foundations who appreciate what a children’s museum will mean for downtown Buffalo and all of Western New York,” said Explore & More Executive Director Barbara Leggett.
The children’s museum has also received funding from the East Hill Foundation and the Wendt Foundation, among other funding sources.