THIS ISSUE: GATEWAY | ANITA HALL SPOTLIGHT | CORPORATE-SPONSORED WORKSHOPS
Our Donor Newsletter
SPRING/SUMMER 2016
Increasing Access Through Gateway
Summer at The Works Museum is always busy—between camps, group field trips, and family
visits, we’re bursting with creative energy.
We believe all children should have access to high-quality engineering learning experiences;
however, although we make every effort to price our programs reasonably, many schools and
families find even these prices prohibitive. That’s why we’re excited to unveil our Gateway
program!
Gateway allows us to provide more workshop subsidies and camp scholarships to low-income
families and the schools that serve them. Initial funding for Gateway was provided by Donaldson,
and ongoing support from companies, foundations, and individuals makes these subsidies
possible. The need is widespread, affecting not just Minneapolis and St. Paul, but many suburban
schools districts as well. Since October 2015, we have provided workshop subsidies to over 6,200
students from nearly 70 schools. You can help this critical effort by contributing to Gateway.
Together we’ll make engineering accessible to more kids.
Donor Spotlight: Anita Hall
In honor of her recent retirement from
General Mills, we recognize Anita Hall,
former Board member and current donor
and volunteer, for everything she has done
for The Works Museum and the Twin Cities
community.
In addition to being the first woman to
earn a degree in Agricultural Engineering at
the University of Minnesota, Anita was the first
female engineer in her department.
Her passion inspires her to encourage others, especially women, to pursue engineering.
Last fall, Anita presented a talk on “the engineering of microwave popcorn” at our Girl Time
event—just one of the many demonstrations she brings to schools around the metro area. We are
honored to have Anita in our community; and we can’t wait to see what she does next!
Expanding Our Reach
Through CorporateSponsored Workshops
Last fall, we brought our Mixing Molecules
workshop to a STEM school in Winona, MN.
All students in grades K–4 participated in the
workshop, which explores states of matter and
chemical changes. Each student made a tub of glow-in-the-dark slime, and one girl declared,
“This is the best day of my life!”
A few weeks after the workshop, we returned to the school for a Family Engineering Night,
which included a variety of activities for kids and parents to enjoy together. Kids recognized our
staff, saying, “You’re the slime lady—I’m so excited you’re back!” Parents said the fun made their
kids especially excited about attending the Family Engineering Night.
Funding from the Xcel Energy Foundation made these visits possible, and presenting the
same workshop to all students in a particular grade level or school is a great shared experience
that teachers value. To learn more, or to find out how to bring our workshops and activities to
your favorite elementary school, contact Brenda at [email protected].
Each student made a tub of glow-in-the-dark slime, and
one girl declared, “This is the best day of my life!”
Jill’s Notes
Summer is here, so I’d like to share with you a key initiative we formalized
this school year. With generous support from the Donaldson Foundation,
we officially launched our Gateway program. Gateway increases access
to our unique engineering education programs through subsidies and
scholarships that support families and schools across the metro area. Every
camp scholarship and workshop subsidy brings us closer to our goal—making
quality engineering education accessible to all children. Since October 2015,
Gateway has provided subsidies to over 6,200 students. Thank you for being
part of The Works Museum’s community. Your support makes our work
possible, and come check out virtual reality in our Design Lab this summer!
Jill Measells, CEO
THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS, NOV 1, 2015–APR 30, 2016
New
Maggie Dayton
Christopher Donahue
Jennifer Green
Judith Hadler
Adriane and Nate Heflin
Mary Jo and Jim Houlding
Travis and Ann-Marie Kishel
Julie Reindl
Michael and Amber Stoner
Susan Van Duyn
Lauren Weiser
Elizabeth Welsh
Richard and Karen Ziegler
Renewing
Carol Aegerter
Emily Ahachich
Timothy Barrett
Ron Bennett
Anna-Maria Bliss
Jay and Ann Boekhoff
Dawn Bortolon
Jane Casto
Jean Clarke
Ray Conover
Jane Copes
Kathy Davis
Nancy Drake
William Durfee
Karin and Rick Emerson
Laura Fingerson
Brenda and Eric Raney
Hardenbergh Foundation
Mark Fingerson
Peter and Sara Ribbens
John Henry Foster
Mike and Ruth Fingerson
Kerry and Erika Rosenhagen
John Larsen Foundation
Gail Finney
Derek and Diane Rucker
K12
Delores Fohlmeister
Michael Rucker
Keyot
Charles Frisch
Barbara and John Schue
Kiddywampus
Leslie Gentner
Wayne and Susan Shelton
Kinder Morgan
Maria Gini and Daniel Boley
Karl and Lila Smith
Liberty Diversified
Betty Grant
Jerry and Brenda Sosinske
International
Anita Hall and Larry Frost
George and Betty Stein
Margaret A. Cargill
Maren Harrison
Rolly and Jennifer Stevens
Foundation
Helen and Curt Hillstrom
Robb and Emily Weidemann
Maurice’s
Beth Humerickhouse
Brad Johnson
Rachel Johnson
Tim and Karen Klevar
Katy Kolbeck
Rebecca Kopka
Larry and Betsy Lee
Peggy Leppik
Peter Leppik and Carla
Hennes
Margaret Loftus
Andrea Matson
Mary Kate McKelvey and
Chris Bercaw
Gloria Measells
Jill and Jonathan Measells
Patty O’Brien Novak
Doug Paulson
Greg and Naomi Pesky
Barbara Pollard
Corporate &
Foundation
3M Foundation
Ameriprise Financial
Barr Engineering
Best Buy
Boston Scientific
BRAAS Company
Braun Intertec
Brocade
Caterpillar Foundation
Cities 97
Digital River
Dorsey & Whitney
Foundation
Ecolab Foundation
Firefly Scientists’ Foundation
Flint Hills Resources
Minneapolis Regional
Chamber of Commerce
Navigate Forward
NPC Robotics
Papa John’s Pizza
Pentair Foundation
Pohlad Family Foundation
Roadway Safety Institute of
the University of Minnesota
Rucker Properties, Inc.
Safety Call International
Schott Foundation
Seagate
St. Jude Medical Foundation
Symantec
Ten Thousand Villages
Tennant
Thomson Reuters
University of Minnesota
Xcel Energy Foundation
THE WORKS MUSEUM
9740 GRAND AVE. S.
BLOOMINGTON, MN 55420
UPCOMING EVENTS
6/6:
Summer Hours Begin
6/6:
First Day Summer Camps
7/4:
Museum closed for Independence Day
8/27: Explore It! Math Adventures
9/17: Girl Time: Discover. Dream. Do.
®
Engineering fun
Support Us!
theworks.org/product/donation
952.888.4262 | theworks.org
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