SPRINGFIELD, Mo.–The Missouri Institute of Natural Science in Springfield gazes toward continuing to educate generations of future scientists, but needs funds to continue.
The museum doesn’t charge admission, the staff is made up of volunteers, so to help with funding, they’re turning to the community for help.
“It brings the natural history, education, to an area that definitely needs it,” says the museums Executive Director Matt Forier.”
The Missouri Institute of Natural Science finds itself short of the funds it needs to complete an addition to the museum.
“We had a donor that needed to back out a little on their promise for additional funding. They had some things come up. So that kind of left us in a lurch a little bit in needs of some money to finish the project.”
While Matt Forier says they could get a loan and pay it back overtime it changes their focus.
“Today you get to come into the museum.Anybody gets to come into the museum and the thirty people that have been in today,have been in and it’s free.
Foriers goal is to keep natural history education free.
“We’re not focused on making it accessible for people to come in and experience this. Now were worried about raising money. How are we going to raise money?”
Forier tells us the people who can donate, should donate. Ultimately it makes it better for the community. He says one special thing that helps motivate him and his staff is to inspire students.
Maybe one of them will go into science. They may go into Chemistry or Biology and may create some cure for something or new technique in surgery and hopefully they’ll at one point say it’s because of the museum and their wacky fossils and minerals that I got interested in science.
Kendra Mignard, a senior high school student, volunteers everyday at the museum after class. She loves inspiring young students and hopes to one day teach science.
“Teaching is the best way to learn. I have learned so much by teaching people,” says Kendra Mignard.
“We just hope that those people that are out there who have visited the museum and the people who may want to come out and visit for the first time, want to come out and be apart of this. Both physically visiting and financially backing it,” says Forier
If you would like to make a donation, click here
