You can bid on a lifetime membership at OH WOW! - a $2000 value - at Junior Achievement's 2010 Online Holiday Auction!! 
Go to:   http://warren-youngstown.ja.org/, click on "view all pages" about 1/2 way down the page, and look for OH WOW!  We are on page 1.  Good Luck!  

 

New investors continue to support our mission at OH WOW!  Please join me in thanking Martin & Catherine Cala, Martin Abraham, Brian Harakal, Dominion East Ohio Gas, The Gary Clayman Family, The City of Youngstown, The Youngstown Rotary Club, and Doctors Veeraiah and Swarajya Perni for their significant contributions to OH WOW! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children's Center for Science & Technology. 

Other news, which we ask you to share with your friends, family and colleagues: 

• We will be open Spring, 2011 - date to be determined soon - watch for updates! 
• Our facebook page is alive and well - check out a sneak peek of selected exhibits at oh wow children's center!
• Our new website will be coming soon!
• During construction, Suzanne Barbati, our executive director will be working out of a building in the high-tech corridor of downtown Youngstown.  Want to guess where that might be!?  
• Tours are available for individuals and groups at our new location - 11 W. Federal Street.  Call Suzanne at 330-744-5914 or email her at director@ohwowkids.org, and set up a time for you, your family, your friends, or your local community group and/or school to see the space of what will soon be "the premier Children's Museum in Northeast Ohio!"  

 

Please join me in thanking the following individuals, companies and foundations for their recent investment in the mission of the Children's Center:   Michele Mellor, Jane F. Lamb Charitable Foundation of Farmers Trust Company, The Youngstown Foundation, John D. Finnegan Foundation, Marilee & Doug Rose, Holly Burnett-Hanley (again!), Roselyn Gadd, and Paul & Dolores Cusson of Northern State Metals.  

Our mission is to foster independent thinking and enrich the lives of all children by creating a welcoming environment where they can develop learning skills and knowledge through the exploration of HANDS-ON interactive exhibits and educational programs which are rooted in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).    

Roto Design Studio, our exhibit designer/producer/installer has completed the major exhibits in our permanent exhibit collection!  Tomorrow I will be in Columbus to check them out - look for pictures next week of our WFMJ Blue Screen, the 40 feet of water exhibits encompassing the Stream/Erosion Table and Water Science Pool, the Hurricane Chamber, Airplane Shooter, Rhythm Machine and Laser Guitar.  Yeah!!  Still remaining:  The Video Browser, 4-sided Magnet Wall, The Brain Quiz, Peek-a-Boo Wall, Crackle Screen, Gear Wall, Lego Table, Catenary Arch, Kapla Blocks, PVC Pipe Organ, Echo Tube Interface, and Amazing Airwaves. 

Also, please join me in thanking our most recent investors (and members):  Michele Mellor, Jessica Borza, F. William & Nancy Morris Scragg, Holly Burnett-Hanley, Janet Yaniglos & Clyde Morris, Judy and Sam Roth, M-7 Technologies, Roth Brothers, Inc.. 

There has been so much support for our mission, and our "Science Makes Cents" Capital Campaign, and we appreciate it!  We are also working on partnership agreements with several key academic and corporate partners.  If you are interested in talking with us about the possibilities, by all means - give me a call at 330-744-5914 or email me at director@ohwowkids.org. 

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! 

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!

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:
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

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.


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

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.

 

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.

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!4 

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.