CHILDREN’S MUSEUM & THEATRE OF MAINE SURPASSES CAPITAL CAMPAIGN GOAL AND ANNOUNCES OPENING DATE

The Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine announced that it has raised over $15 million dollars from over 500 donors, surpassing its initial $14 million goal. A significant wave of support came at the end of the campaign, allowing the organization to add back aspects of the project that had previously been moved to a second phase. The fundraising total includes a $500,000 grant designated to its endowment from the Lunder Foundation, bolstering the Museum & Theatre’s ongoing initiatives to ensure that all children, regardless of background, have access to the organization’s educational programs and exhibits. The conclusion of the campaign comes as the Museum & Theatre prepares to open their new 30,000 square foot facility at Thompson’s Point, where they plan to welcome visitors beginning Thursday, June 24, 2021. More than 500 philanthropic individuals, families, corporations, and foundations contributed to the campaign which will allow the organization to expand its reach to over 200,000 visitors per year. 

Many donors chose to have their gifts recognized by naming exhibits, theatre seats, benches or granite pavers as a legacy for someone special. Children supported the campaign, too, with donations of their lemonade stand proceeds and their birthday money. The new building, offering the state-of-the-art Maddy’s Theatre, a STEM science center, and a floor devoted to arts, culture, and community, will open with limited capacity and other protocols in place to protect visitors and staff during the pandemic.

Imagine Campaign Chair Barbee Gilman said, “I’m touched by the donors at all levels who recognized the importance of the project for the community and stretched to make this dream become a reality. The campaign is not just about a building–it is about opportunities for children. At the core of this initiative is the desire to dramatically expand our reach.”

Imagine Capital Campaign Leadership Team stands in front of the Climb exhibit in the lobby of the new Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine. (L to R): Museum & Theatre Executive Director Julie Butcher Pezzino, Honorary Campaign Chair Maddy Corson, Campaign Chair Barbee Gilman, Museum & Theatre Board of Trustees President Kristin Valdmanis, and Corporate Chair Michael Bourque.

Maddy Corson of Yarmouth–who is the former Chair of the Board of Guy Gannett Communications and Honorary Chair of the Imagine Capital Campaign–led the quiet phase of the campaign with a foundational gift in honor of her life-long commitment to children’s theatre. Corson was determined to help the children’s theatre find a proper home after nearly a century of programming. In recognition of her generosity, the new theatre is named “Maddy’s Theatre” after her birth mother, with whom she shares her name. Maddy’s Theatre will open its inaugural summer season with three productions; the first is the one-person show Balloonacy.

Midway through the campaign, philanthropist Dorothy Suzi Osher’s gift acted as a catalyst when she named the entire Museum & Theatre facility after her parents Joseph A. and Anna Marie Petrin of Biddeford.

Another turning point came late in the campaign with a $500,000 challenge match from The Lunder Foundation to name “The Lunder Arts and Culture Gallery”—a collaborative space that houses the Museum & Theatre’s culture and arts programming. This generous challenge match inspired the greater community to support the project and built momentum to get across the finish line of the campaign.  The gift from The Lunder Foundation has been allocated to the Museum & Theatre’s endowment.

Executive Director Julie Butcher Pezzino said, “I wish to extend my sincere gratitude to the Board and campaign volunteers, particularly the Campaign Leadership team, who worked tirelessly to share the vision for this project and its impact on children of all backgrounds. All of the attention to the universal design of our new building and exhibits provides access for people with many different kinds of disabilities and, in many cases, goes beyond the guidelines to uphold our philosophy that every family deserves a safe place to play and learn in our community.”

MEMIC President and CEO Michael Bourque, who served as Corporate Chair of the campaign, said, “The business community in Maine turned out in full force to show their commitment to children and families in Maine, and to build the Museum & Theatre our state needs and deserves. Our leading corporate sponsor, Poland Spring, along with 35 other companies elected to support this effort. We are grateful they have recognized the value of this project for their employees’ families and its impact on workforce development.” 

When the Museum & Theatre opens on June 24, 2021, it will do so with protocols in place to keep visitors safe, including: timed ticketing, reduced building capacity, social distancing, enhanced cleaning, and mandatory mask wearing of all visitors five years old and up. Masking is recommended for those two to four years old, but not required. Beginning with a building capacity of less than 40% of that recommended by the CDC, the Museum & Theatre will continuously re-evaluate visitor experience with the exhibits and in the theatre and gradually increase capacity, when appropriate. Upon opening, the schedule will also begin with three days per week and phase in additional days as newly-hired staff become onboarded.