Support for teen surges after theft from rock museum
Thirteen-year-old Judah Tyreman started the Sesula Mineral and Gem Museum in Radisson because he wanted to share his passion for rocks with as many people as possible.
After someone broke into the shop and stole a variety of his specimens, amateur and professional rock enthusiasts stepped up to help the teen get his museum back up and running.
Tyreman said he immediately knew what happened when he walked up to the museum Sunday morning to find the door jimmied open and jewelry scattered on the ground outside. Someone helped themselves to items estimated to be worth $6,000 to $8,000, including a piece of rare ocean jasper worth about $3,000.
They also stole the museum’s donation jar.
The initial shock of the robbery dampened Tyreman’s spirits on the future of the museum, but the uncertainty evaporated when he started getting calls and emails from all over North America.
“I’ve had non-stop emails since yesterday,” Tyreman said on Tuesday, noting all the attention has been slightly overwhelming but he’s thankful so many people are supporting his museum.
People from as far away as New Mexico have contacted him to send specimens from their own collections. The Royal Saskatchewan Museum has also offered to donate a variety of its duplicates. He also raised more than $7,000 in a single day through his GoFundMe page.
“I’m going to use it to get replacement pieces and hopefully use it to one day buy the building,” he said.
His plans don’t stop there. Tyreman also hopes to expand his collection — which includes fossils, dinosaur bones, minerals and meteorites — into the building’s attic, which he says will take some money to renovate.
He proudly notes he is doing this all on his own. From spending day after day in the sunshine mowing people’s lawns for his startup funds, Tyreman says he has never used any of his parent’s money to fund the museum and he plans to keep it that way.
Even more impressive is he sends 10 per cent of the money he raises from sales and fundraisers to an unfunded orphanage in Africa.
Although he was sad to see some of his favourite pieces disappear, Tyreman is looking on the bright side and staying hopeful for the return of his specimens.
“I think something good came out of something bad,” he said.
“I would have preferred to keep a couple more (specimens), but it’s been pretty good — I am hoping my specimens are found, though.”
I’m going to use it (GoFundMe donations) to get replacement pieces and hopefully use it to one day buy the building