Museum participates in giving event

KidsPlay Children’s Museum is participating in this year’s Give Local Greater Waterbury and Litchfield Hills, an online giving event hosted by Connecticut Community Foundation.

KidsPlay will use funds raised during the 36-hour event for A Museum for the Community, an announcement said. This initiative invites low-income families to visit the museum regularly and is a part of KidsPlay’s broad commitment to diversity, equity, access, and inclusion, the announcement said.

A Museum for the Community welcomes families with a current Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program EBT card to visit the museum or qualify for a membership at a significantly reduced rate.

Eileen Marriott, museum director, said, “In 2020, Give Local donors showed up to support the museum at a crucial time when earned income from admissions, memberships and field-trips essentially disappeared. With their help, we launched a Virtual Museum experience to support families. We are asking for support again as we look to expand our impact in a meaningful way.”

Cathy Schmitz, museum founder and spokesperson for the museum’s board of directors, said, “Learning through play is vital for young children. The community’s support of this initiative will allow us to remove barriers for lowincome families so their children will benefit from the social-emotional and educational value of the Museum.”

Give Local Greater Waterbury and Litchfield Hills starts at 7 a.m. April 20, and ends at 7 p.m. April 21. Donations can be made to KidsPlay or any of the participating nonprofit organizations by visiting givelocalccf.org.

For information, contact Marriott at 860-618-7700 ext 2225 or visit kidsplaymuseum.org. More information about the Connecticut Community Foundation can be found at conncf.org.