Greater Toronto Area's First Children's Museum Children's Discovery Centre Launches Crowdfunding Campaign
TORONTO, April 15, 2015 /CNW/ - Jeanhy Shim, CEO and founder of the Children's Discovery Centre (childrensdiscoverycentre.com) – Greater Toronto Area's first and only children's museum – has announced the launch of an online crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for the purchase of materials and equipment. The initial pilot project is scheduled to open May 23. Shim describes the Discovery Centre as "like the ultimate mash-up of the ROM, Ontario Science Centre, and Zoo for children 6 and under to play, explore, learn, create, get messy, dress-up and use their imaginations." The 20,000 square foot indoor space features 10 themed Discovery Zones, each thoughtfully designed by a team of early childhood development professionals.
On April 13, a crowdfunding campaign with a goal of $80,000 was initiated at www.indigogo.com/projects/children-s-discovery-centre, where there is an entertaining and informative video to view. "We already have such a great network of supporters who, like us, think it's a travesty that there's no children's museum in our City," says Shim, citing there are at least 200 across North America. "We have come a long way in just 18 months from concept to construction, without government or big corporate funding. Now we need support from the public to ensure our pilot project is a success," she adds.
Shim first had the idea for the Discovery Centre when visiting the Bay Area Discovery Museum in San Francisco with her nieces almost 11 years ago. In the intervening years, she continued to hone her research and marketing skills in the GTA housing industry while also becoming a mother and raising her daughter in a downtown condo. Finding a dearth of quality experiences and fun things to do with her own child rekindled the idea for creating Toronto's first children's museum. She explains, "The timing is right. Based on Stats Canada (2011) data, we project the number of families with young children residing in the downtown core will triple in the next 5 to 10 years, resulting in heightened demand for family-focused products, services, amenities and lifestyle experiences."
Children's Discovery Centre will open in May in its temporary 'pop-up' space at Garrison Point beside Liberty Village, with an admission price targeted below other attractions catering to children. The pilot project will run until September, by which time Shim and her team hope to locate a permanent future home in the downtown area.
Key founding partners of this initiative include: Housing Lab Toronto, Build Toronto, Diamondcorp, Skygrid Construction, Garrison Point, Rouge Consulting, Friendship in Action, Giannone Petricone Associates and Giovanni Tassone Architect.
For more information visit: ChildrensDiscoveryCentre.com and find them on Facebook and Twitter.
SOURCE Children's Discovery Centre
Media Contact: Toni Pettit, The Morrison Group, [email protected], M: 416.824.2397, O: 905.471.0803
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