Donor Blog

Naming Opps Still Available

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:46:00 GMT

Thank you for your interest in making a significant investment in OH WOW! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children's Center for Science & Technology. Here are the naming opportunities still available. There are other opportunities as well - give me a call at 330-744-5914, and we can talk about them.

Airplane Shooter	$20,000.00
Airplane Shooter	$20,000.00
Restored Experimental Airplane	$30,000.00
Avionics WOW ZONE	$75,000.00	Cafaro Family Fdn
Crackle Screen	$10,000.00	P & S Equities
Peekaboo	$15,000.00	P & S Equities
Early Childhood WOW Zone	$75,000.00	P & S Equities
Tide Pool (Pool Activity #1)	$10,000.00	Time Warner Cable
Erosion Table	$35,000.00
Center Pool (Pool Activity #2)	$10,000.00
Stream Table	$35,000.00
Archimedes Screw Exhibit (Pool Activity #3)	$10,000.00	Fred & Mary Lou Alexander
Laminar Shooter (Pool Activity #4)	$10,000.00	Senator Maurice & Florence Lipscher Charitable Fund
Laminar Shooter (Pool Activity #5)	$10,000.00	Senator Maurice & Florence Lipscher Charitable Fund
Bernoulli Table	$25,000.00
River of Knowledge WOW! Zone	$75,000.00	Reserved
Hurricane Blast	$50,000.00	Kennedy Family Fdn / CFMV
Blue Screen Weather Station	$45,000.00	WFMJ
Video Browser	$25,000.00	Cafaro Family Fdn
Earth/Weather WOW Zone	$75,000.00
Console #1	$7,500.00	First National Bank of Pennsylvania
Console #2	$7,500.00
Console #3	$7,500.00
Scoreboard	$10,000.00
Quiz Studio WOW! Zone	$75,000.00
Lego Table	$20,000.00	Youngstown Area Jewish Federation - Donor Advised Fund
Cantenary Arch	$15,000.00
Kapla Blocks	$15,000.00	Michael Morley & Anita Lin
4-Sided Magnet Wall	$30,000.00
Gear Wall	$25,000.00	The Rotary Club of Youngstown
Eng./Tech WOW Zone	$75,000.00	Howard Solomon & Family
Echo Tube	$15,000.00
PVC Pipe Organ	$15,000.00	Tentative Sponsorship
Laser Guitar Exhibit	$35,000.00
Rhythm Machine	$30,000.00
Sound/Light WOW ZONE	$75,000.00
Amazing Airways	$50,000.00	Edward W. Powers Charitable Fund
Special Exhibit Gallery (Lower Level)	$75,000.00	Frank & Pearl Gelbman Charitable Fdn.
Activity Center (LL)	$50,000.00	J. Ford Crandall Fdn.
Visitor Orientation Center	$35,000.00	Jeff Simon & Family
WOW! Pal Offices (LL)	$35,000.00
River of Knowledge Exhibit Hall	$150,000.00	Frank & Pearl Gelbman Charitable Fdn.
East Exhibit Hall (LL)	$75,000.00
Facility Naming	$250,000.00	Roger & Gloria Jones

Thanks to Mary Lou & Fred Alexander!

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:09:00 GMT

Thanks to Mary Lou and Fred Alexander for their recent investment in the Children's Center! Mary Lou and Fred have purchased the naming rights to the Archimedes Screw Exhibit, which is a pool activity in our 40' long water exhibit.

That's right, folks - a 40' long water exhibit titled "The River of Knowledge" in Youngstown, Ohio that will exceed your expectations and provide hours of fun, experimentation and learning for you, your children and grandchildren!

There were 28 exhibit naming opportunities available. We have sold 18 or 64%. There are 10 or 36% remaining.
There were 10 WOW Zones (or galleries) available as naming opportunites. We have sold 6 (60%), and have 4 or 40% remaining.

Time is of the essence - call now if you or someone you know is interested in an investment in OH WOW! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children's Center for Science & Technology!

Thanks Liam & Kelsey!

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 09:02:00 GMT

Please join me in thanking Liam and Kelsey for donating 1/3 of the money earned from their lemonade stand to the Children's Center! Thanks!

Can you help?

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 11:03:00 GMT

My career has led me in many directions over the years. From donut making to grant writing, coordinator to business owner to executive director, there have been lessons learned, challenges addressed, and milestones celebrated.

Most important lesson learned - when you need help, ask for it. I'm asking now - Can you help the Board of Trustees and me finish building the Children's Center for Science & Technology?

Our biggest challenge today - raise an additional $385,000 so that we can complete renovation of our new facility at 11 W. Federal Street in downtown Yongstown. Can you help?

Send in your contribution (cash or multi-year pledge) today! There are still limited naming opportunities available, but no amount is too small. If we are to become an academic and cultural institution in the City of Youngstown, we need the support of the entire community.
Tell your children, parents, friends, family, business associates and neighbors about us. Encourage them to send in a contribution (cash or multi-year pledge) today.

Biggest milestone to be celebrated - Tell me which one you think is most impressive:

We have raised $1.4 million in cash and pledges to date!
Key community partners have committed nearly one million dollars in in-kind support, reducing our operating costs dramatically, helping us to be sustainable in the long-term!
Cash reserves have been established for future operations and capital expenditures.
The YMCA and OH WOW! will announce a unique collaborative partnership this fall, that will benefit our entire community!
The Trumbull County Educational Service Center featured OH WOW! in its Summer Of Growth Series.
The Hine Memorial Fund of the Youngstown Foundation is helping us to become a model for Universal Design.
There are many more - come see me, bring your friends and family! I'd love to show you around.

YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE OH WOW!

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 16:12:00 GMT

YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE OH WOW!

YOU WILL LOVE our new location - the historic McCrory’s Department Store on Central Square in downtown Youngstown! Tours are available right now by calling me at 330-744-5914 or by emailing me at director@ohwowkids.org! Be prepared - there is no running water and no functional bathroom in the space. No big deal, though – I can hook you up with the cleanest bathrooms in downtown!

During your tour, YOU WILL LOVE seeing how our permanent exhibit collection, which is valued at $500,000, will fit in our new location! Exhibit committee members have been working hard to ensure that the exhibits they select are the best they can be! Please join me in thanking Dr. Martin Abraham, Holly Burnett-Hanley, Ronald Cornell Faniro, Jeanette Garvey, Josephine Nolfi, Frank Rulli, Bruce Sherman, and Janet Williams.

We are gratified by the community’s support of our mission, and are confident that we can continue to exceed expectations – we have raised $1.2 million toward our “Science Makes Cents” campaign goal of $1.9 million.

We will be the premier STEM-based HANDS-ON, interactive children’s museum in Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, and you can continue to be part of our success! Your investment will help us achieve our mission: to foster independent thinking and the promotion of excellence in academic performance. Investment opportunities include
 purchasing a 12-month annual membership, which will become effective on the date we open in the Fall of 2010:
o Single (1 child and 1 adult) @ $35
o Family (2 children and 2 adults) @ $50
o Extended Family (Includes extended family members) @ $100
o Reciprocal @ $150
 becoming a “Sponsor” for a day, week, month or season, the benefits of which include free passes and recognition at the Center and on our website:
o Day Sponsor @ $300 – Pick the date___________
o Week Sponsor @ $1500 – Pick the week_Sunday to Saturday
o Month Sponsor @ $5000 – Pick the month/year _____________
o Seasonal Sponsor @ $10,000 – Winter/Spring/Summer/Fall
 purchasing the naming rights to a WOW! Zone or an individual exhibit. Please contact me to see a list of available opportunities. These investments can be made as a one-time gift or a multi-year pledge.
While no investment is too small, investors contributing $3,000 or more will be recognized on our permanent “Investors’ Recognition Wall” located at the entrance of our new facility.

Thank you for all of your kind words of encouragement - knowing you support our mission makes my job such a joy!!
Suzanne Barbati
Executive Director

$100 Thousand Dollars Invested in OH WOW!

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 13:29:00 GMT

OH WOW! receives another $100K in NEW investments from the Kennedy Family Foundation ($50,000), a component fund of the Community Foundation of Mahoning Valley, and the Edward Powers Trust of PNC Bank ($50,000). Thank you for investing in our children's future, through the "Science Makes Cents" Campaign!!

The Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley is operated exclusively for charitable, educational and scientific purposes which effectively assist and promote the well being of residents of Mahoning and Trumbull Counties. Information about the Foundation can be found at www.cfmv.org.

If you have been contemplating an investment in OH WOW!, we invite you to make that pledge today! Your pledge today will help us take full advantage of the investments we have received to date, and ensure that we meet our aggressive timelime to open Fall, 2010.

Suzanne Barbati, Executive Director
OH WOW! Roger & Gloria Jones Children's Center for Science & Technology
P.O. Box 6101
Youngstown, Ohio 44501
330-744-5914
director@OHWOWkids.org

$27,000 in Pledges Brings OH WOW! Closer To Goal

Mon, 05 Apr 2010 15:29:00 GMT

OH WOW! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science & Technology announced today that additional investments of $27,000 have been received in its "Science Makes Cents" Capital Campaign!

Campaign Chairman Bruce Sherman said “We appreciate the support of PNC! These investments are indicative of the Mahoning Valley’s strong support for our mission, and will enable us to meet our very aggressive timeline to open at our new location – the historic McCrory’s on Central Square in downtown Youngstown, Ohio – in Fall, 2010.”

From PNC: $20,000 from the Senator Maurice & Florence Lipscher Charitable Fund, $5,000 from The Ruth H. Beecher Charitable Trust, and $2,000 from the Walter E & Caroline H Watson Trust.

$100K Received! We Are Exceeding Expectations!!

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:53:00 GMT

On January 25, 2010, the CMV began doing business as OH WOW! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science & Technology (OH WOW!).

Two hundred community and business leaders, educators, underwriters and sponsors, as well as media representatives attended our launch, toured the space, and learned about our plans for the building’s renovation. We have exceeded all expectations and are now poised to become the region’s premier interactive, hands-on children’s museum in Northeast Ohio, opening Fall, 2010!

We would like you to be part of our success! Add your name to our list of investors by making a one-time gift today or a multi-year pledge. In addition to various donation levels, naming opportunities are available for investors wishing to make a significant impact. While no amount is too small, investments of $3,000 or more will be acknowledged on our “Wall of Recognition”.

Recent investments received include $75,000 from The Frank & Pearl Gelbman Foundation of Huntington National Bank; and $25,000 from The J. Ford Crandall Foundation.

The Gloria & Roger Jones OH WOW! Children's Center for Science & Technology Unveils New Location, New Name

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 11:38:00 GMT

On Monday January 25, 2010, the community was treated to a sneak peak at the new location of the Children’s Center for Science & Technology (previously the Children’s Museum of the Valley), formally located on East Boardman Street in downtown Youngstown. Late last year the Center’s board of directors completed a lease agreement with First National Bank of Pennsylvania for the relocation of operations to the historic McCrory Building on Central Square.

Standing in middle of the now-bare 16,000 square-foot building, Ron Faniro, board president, credited the relationship with First National Bank, the collaboration with the YSU College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, and the early success of a capital campaign all factors in making the relocation to the larger facility possible.

When opened in Fall 2010 the new Center will offer hands-on, interactive exhibits that are unlike those found in other children’s museums. Faniro said the board has contracted with one of the top design firms in the country to create exhibits that are totally unique, fun, and at the same time, educational. “In a word, what we will offer here is ‘edutainment,’” he remarked.

A highlight of the event was the unveiling of a new name and graphic logo for the Center. The facility will now be known as “OH WOW!” The Gloria & Roger Jones Children’s Center for Science & Technology. Suzanne Barbati, the Center’s executive director, said the new branding image captures the excitement that children and families will experience when they visit. “Based on the nature of the new hi-tech, hands-on exhibits, we believe we are going to hear a lot of ‘Oh Wows’,” she beamed.

The new name also honors Gloria and Roger Jones of Youngstown, long-time supporters and major contributors to the Center’s “Science Makes Cents” capital campaign. The couple, appearing in a pre-recorded video, said they became involved because nothing is more important than the education of children.

Bruce Sherman, chairman of the capital campaign, commented that a significant amount of the $1.5 million goal has already been pledged and cited local foundations, individual donors, and area businesses for their generosity.

Congressman Tim Ryan commented that the hi-tech nature of the exhibits and programs the Center will offer make it a perfect fit into the Valley’s focus on tech-based industries starting up or relocating here. “With the Youngstown Business Incubator and Turning Technologies two blocks down Federal Street the vision of creating a hi-tech corridor downtown is taking shape,” the congressman remarked.

The focus of “OH WOW” will be providing hands-on, interactive experiences for children ages 5 thru 12 with accompanying opportunities for learners of all ages. The facility expects to have a regional impact, drawing between 25-30 thousand visitors in the first year from across the tri-state area.

Plans for the renovation of the building’s two floors are expected to be complete soon with construction getting underway in the early spring.

Additional information is available online at www.ValleyKids.org.

Parking Options in Downtown Youngstown

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:54:00 GMT

Parking in downtown Youngstown is available, and among the best deal you will find anywhere!!

We hope to have key lots marked with balloons, so look for them - they will be orange and yellow in color.

I found this map after googling "parking in downtown youngstown". If it is too difficult to read, please conduct your own search, or contact these parking lot owners by phone (list provided below picture).

USA Parking Youngstown
www.usaparking.com - (330) 746-7275 - More

USA Parking Youngstown: Garage
maps.google.com - (330) 747-3434 - 3 reviews

Ampco System Parking
www.abm.com - (330) 747-7678 - More

A 1 Parking
maps.google.com - (330) 740-0460 - More

USA Parking Systems
www.usaparking.com - (330) 746-1517 - More

Children's Center on Hiatus until Fall, 2010

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:53:00 GMT

Because of our relocation to the historic McCrory’s Department Store building on Federal Plaza in downtown Youngstown, the CCS&T will be on hiatus during construction, and open Fall, 2010.

Memberships can be purchased at 2009 rates of $35 for individual, $50 for family, and $100 for reciprocal. For more information, please contact Suzanne: director@valleykids.org.

Reservations for the 2010-2011 school year are also being accepted at 2009 rates. Afterschool programs, field trips, birthday parties and professional development opportunities are just a few of the events you can schedule at the CCS&T.

We have staff available to assist you in writing grants to help defray the transportation and admission costs for your class. For more information, please contact Suzanne: director@valleykids.org.

Volunteers Needed for January 25th Unveiling

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:57:00 GMT

Would you like to meet and greet visitors at our January 25th unveiling? Please let us know by emailing Suzanne at director@valleykids.org.

Children's Center for Science & Technology Members Get a 12 Month Extension

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 19:01:00 GMT

The NEW Children's Center for Science & Technology is expected to be open Fall, 2010! To accommodate our construction schedule, members of the Children's Center for Science & Technology are being given a 12 month extension on their membership.

Membership at the CCS&T entitles the holder to unlimited visits during the year.

If you join us on Monday, January 25, 2010 at 10:30 a.m., you and your family will be able to tour the new space at 15 Central Square, Youngstown, and learn about our plans for the building’s renovation! We will also unveil our new identity, kick-off our “Science Makes Cents” capital campaign, and introduce you to our exhibit designers, Roto Studios (http://www.rotostudio.com). We hope you can join us!

Please RSVP to director@valleykids.org or by calling 330-744-5914.

Media and Launch Event for the NEW Children’s Center for Science & Technology

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 17:06:00 GMT

On Monday, January 25, 2010 at 10:30 a.m. you are cordially invited to participate in an event that will significantly impact the entire Mahoning Valley for many years to come.   Please join other community and business leaders, educators, underwriters and sponsors, as well as media representatives as we launch a most important and exciting phase in the development of the Children’s Center for Science & Technology.

The new Children’s Center for Science & Technology is poised to become the region’s premier interactive, hands-on children’s museum. In 2010, the Center will move from its present location on East Boardman St. in downtown Youngstown to its new home in the historic McCrory Building on Federal Plaza, providing us with 12,000 sq. ft. of space.

We encourage you to join us and tour the space and learn about our plans for the building’s renovation and installation of national-quality exhibits. We will also unveil our exciting new identity as well as our capital campaign. Refreshments will be served.

Event:   Media and Launch Event for the NEW Children’s Center for Science & Technology

Date:    Monday, January 25, 2010

Time:   10:30 a.m.

Location:   McCrory Building 17 Central Square, Downtown Youngstown, Ohio

Please R.S.V.P. by January 21st by calling 330-744-5914 or by email at director@ValleyKids.org.