Celebrating Please Touch Museum’s 5th Birthday One of the best parts of planning the Museum’s 5th Birthday Party has been revisiting the Museum’s last five years and reconnecting with all the people who helped bring Please Touch Museum to its current home. The success of Please Touch Museum at Memorial Hall arose from the devotion, generosity, and hard work of a tremendous number of staff members, donors, family, and friends. The 5th Birthday Party was conceived of as an event where the labors of all these remarkable individuals would be recognized and the bright future of Please Touch Museum celebrated. We look forward to seeing all of you tonight, and we hope you’ll join us in raising a glass during the procession of toasts by our special guests. Thank you for your continual support, and enjoy the evening!
Anne Hamilton, Sue Shea, Sandy Wax and Kate Shields 5th Birthday Party Patrol Co-Chairs
Meet the Sponsors, Committee, and Board of Directors
PRESENTING GIFTS
Mrs. J. Maxwell Moran Anonymous (2)
INNOVATION GIFTS
RWJF Special Contributions Fund of the Princeton Area Community Foundation
IMAGINATION GIFTS
CURIOSITY GIFTS
WHIMSY GIFTS
Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP
The Liem Family
Philadelphia Parks & Recreation
Sue Shea
BVTLive
WONDER GIFTS
Harmelin Media
The Kyriakakis Family
Sandy Wax
Abbot Downing
I Do Wedding Company
Salveson Stetson Group
Hamilton Family Foundation
Carole & Emilio Gravagno
KWY, CBS Radio
Joe and Jolly Waterman
Nancy and Roy Kolb
On Q Productions
Center City Film and Video
Kate Shields
Coca Cola Refreshments
The Addis Group
Merritt Weber
Liza Cartmell
Tompkins Insurance Agencies, Inc.
Hess Foundation, Inc.
Berwind Group
PA Leadership Charter School
Graphic Arts,Inc.
Main Line Parent
Comcast Spectacor
Cut and Paste Photo Booth Leo Sewell Todd and Barbara Albert
DONATIONS
PARTY PATROL
Cissy and Bill Claypool
Anne F. Hamilton, Party Patrol Honorary Co-Captain
Susan M. Shea, Party Patrol Honorary Co-Captain
Sara D. Nerken
Sandy Wax, Party Patrol Vice Chair
Kate Shields, Party Patrol Vice Chair
Christopher C. Archer
Melanie London
Bob & Charlotte Brown
Allison Mackie
VENDOR DONATIONS
Mark & Susan Brousseau
Kelley Maddox
Susan Burch
Lea May
Victory Brewing Company
Gloria A. Cascarino
Michael McBride
Lancaster Brewing Company
Matt Cassidy
John & Denise McDevitt
Greg & Debbie Clower
Brent & Susan Meyer
Sharon G. Coghlan, Esq.
John & Leigh Middleton
Robert & Deborah Cohen
Corie Moskow/Gloss PR
Cooper Graphic Design
Peter & Elisabeth Cooke
Jamey Nolan
Louisa Dubin
Renee Nussbaumer
Main Line AV
Joe & Allison Fanelli
Cindy O’Reilly
Comcast Spectacor
Paige Gabay
Tim & Sue O’Reilly
Danny & Ashley Govberg
Aleni Pappas
Graphic Arts Incorporated
Bryan & Christine Parthemore
Bryan & Christina Grimes
Paul & Lindsey Schuster
Michael Gross & Nancy Peterson
Andy & Lily Siravo
Nathaniel Hamilton & Shaina Flynn
Andrew & Gabriella Snyder
Ben & Elizabeth Hardy
Joanne Soslow
David & Renee Henry
Lee & Sally Stetson
Harry & Louise Hill
Audrey Tashjian, M.D.
Joan R. Holmes
Michael J. Tierney
Matt Taylor & Francie Ingersoll
Walter & Stephanie Toliver
Jason Ingle
Peter & Erin Toscani
Ben & Meghan Johnson
Joe & Jolly Waterman
Ann Keech
Joe & Stacey Waterman
Roy & Nancy Kolb
Merritt Weber
Joe & Ruth Hirshey Lincoln
Lara Toscani Weems
Anne E. Pinkerton
Active Image Media
Entertainment provided by
Presentation Cake donated by
As of January 2014
BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFFICERS
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Sally W. Stetson, Chairperson Sue Shea, Vice Chair Sandy Wax, Vice Chair Elizabeth Cartmell, Immediate Past Chair Kristen Vieira Traynor, Treasurer Joseph Fanelli, Secretary
Bruce Aronow Dave Buck Sharon Coghlan Benjamin Johnson Barbara Klock, MD
EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS The Honorable Vincent J. Hughes, Member, Pa Senate The Honorable Michael Nutter, Mayor, City of Philadelphia The Honorable Vaness Lowery Brown, Member, Pa House of Representatives The Honorable Darrell Clarke, Council President Michael DiBernardinis, Commissioner, Department of Parks & Recreation EMERITUS MEMBERS Nancy Kolb, Past President, Please Touch Museum Portia Sperr, Founder, Please Touch Museum Nora Mead Brownell Anne Hamilton, Philanthropist
L. Gie Liem Ruth Hirshey Lincoln Lee A. Rosengard, Esq. Kate Shields Bennett Thomas
Lynn McMaster PRESIDENT AND CEO OF PLEASE TOUCH MUSEUM Lynn McMaster is the fourth Chief Executive Officer in Please Touch Museum’s almost 40-year history. Ms. McMaster joined the Museum as Executive Vice President in September 2012, and served as the Museum’s Interim President and CEO following the retirement of her precursor, Laura Foster. Her resolute leadership and deft management during that time assured her promotion to permanent CEO by the Museum’s Board of Directors. Before joining PTM, Ms. McMaster earned an international reputation as a museum executive for her work at the Canadian Children’s Museum (under the aegis of the Canadian Museum of Civilization). Since her arrival, she was worked with the Board to develop a comprehensive strategy to strengthen the Museum’s long-term finances, taking decisive action to secure PTM’s financial stability. In addition, she was an instrumental figure in the creation of the Museum’s 2013 – 2016 Strategic Plan, which reflects a strong vision for PTM’s future.
2013–2016 Strategic Plan While PTM has many achievements and joyful memories to reflect on after our first five years in Memorial Hall, we are preparing to enter the next phase in our operations. Our 2013 – 2016 Strategic Plan, completed at the end of 2013, provides a blueprint that will guide the Museum through the next three years. PTM’s overarching institutional goals for the next three years are to • position PTM as a nationally recognized leader in early childhood development through play; • invest in the museum experience and make PTM a destination of choice through exhibits, programs, and other initiatives that have measurable impact; • become an employer of choice by creating a collaborative workplace that values our employees as much as our visitors; • attain long-term financial stability; • demonstrate our commitment to the city and the region through a comprehensive plan for our historic home and through partnerships in our community and beyond.
By strengthening our existing exhibits, programs, and services, and by launching new exciting programming and organizational initiatives, we have already made significant progress toward achieving all these important goals.
Early Childhood Years The early childhood years are the most important in a person’s lifespan. Advances in cognitive science are making the nature and schedule of children’s development clearer: the brain develops more rapidly during these early years than at any other time. By age five, children’s brains have developed 90% of the foundation for problem-solving, communications, and critical thinking. It is imperative that children are exposed to rich variety of learning experiences from a very young age to support cognitive growth during these most formative years. Play is widely recognized as one of the most natural and powerful learning experiences for children at this crucial developmental stage.
Children’s museums are a tremendous asset for parents and caregivers of young children in creating opportunities for learning through play. As the first museum in the nation dedicated to serving children ages seven and younger, Please Touch Museum is a proven leader among this exceptional group of cultural institutions. All our arts-based educational programs are designed to be open-ended, process-driven, and child-directed. Performing arts are also central to our mission. Please Touch Playhouse Theater is Philadelphia’s only children’s theater offering a full year of main-stage performances. Our season consists of six different shows, a selection from the Museum’s repertoire of original productions. We welcome a variety of guest performers, including magicians, story tellers, jugglers, and dancers, throughout the year.
We believe that investing the Museum’s resources in our community is an effective way to promote our mission of learning through play and continually strengthen our ties to our community partners. Our programs are designed to be multi-generational, cross-curricular, and consistent with state learning standards. Our outreach is structured to address three primary areas: • External Play: a group of programs that capture the experience of visiting Please Touch Museum in portable form through books, toys, interactive games, and art experiences; • School Readiness: a collection of events, programs, and resources that celebrate and support families with children making the transition into kindergarten; • Youth and Family Programs: which empowers parents and caregivers, and mentors youth as they grow into self-sufficient adults and future parents.
Active Community Partner PTM is an active community partner. The Museum’s robust community outreach platform has made us a leader in providing programs and services for nontraditional museum audiences. The primary focus of our outreach efforts is Parkside, a low-socioeconomic-status neighborhood adjacent to the Museum. Through outreach programming and partnerships, we strive to work in concert with Parkside’s residents and stakeholders to collaboratively build a stronger community. Our efforts are assisted by a Community Advisory Board, composed of community leaders and stakeholders.
Noteworthy • PTM averages nearly 580,000 visitors per year; since 2008, we have welcomed more than 3 million visitors
• More than 11,000 families are currently enrolled in our membership program
• The European Museum Academy and Hands On! International awarded PTM the 2013 International Children’s Museum Award
• The Association of Children’s Museums recognized PTM’s Play without Boundaries program, which serves children with special needs, with an Honorable Mention as part of its “Promising Practice” Awards (2013)
• Art-Reach awarded PTM the 2011 Commitment to Cultural Access Award • Philadelphia Business Journal named PTM as one of the top 10 tourist attractions in Philadelphia (2013)
• Grandparents.com named PTM as one of the ten best children’s museums in the US (2013)
• Maryland Family magazine named PTM one of the “100 Best Places to Take the Kids” (2013)
Contributions As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Please Touch Museum relies on the contributions we receive from our network of donors, sponsors, and friends. There are many different ways for you or your place of business to get involved and make a donation to the Museum. Your gift will ensure that the hundreds of thousands of children and families we serve each year will receive the high-quality experience befitting of one of the nation’s premier children’s museums. For more information on how you can support the Museum’s exhibits, education & community programs long on to: http://www.pleasetouchmuseum.org/support-us/
Legacy of Play In December 2012, Mrs. Dorrance H, Hamilton, a long-time supporter of the Museum, issued Please Touch Museum a $1 million challenge grant. For Mrs. Hamilton the decision to issue the challenge was simple. The Hamilton family has visited the Museum together for decades, and the memories they share were all the motivation she needed to invest in its long-term sustainability. For all that the Museum has changed in size and scope, especially in the last five years, our core values remain the same. Children that visit now experience the same playful and enriching learning as previous generations. Through her long association with the Museum, Mrs. Hamilton has seen firsthand the difference these early learning experiences can make in a child’s life. Mrs. Hamilton’s gift was the first step toward launching Legacy of Play, a fundraising campaign that will raise $30 million to secure Please Touch Museum’s future. We have already raised more than $5.5 million toward the completion of our goal.
The campaign has four components: • Implementing improvements and facility upgrades • Conducting exhibit upgrades and program expansion • Restructuring of the Museum’s finances • Creating a reserve fund for the Museum’s future The theme of Play-Learn-Grow-Support is the life cycle we hope to establish among children who visit the Museum and the caregivers that bring them. These simple stages remind us that while we play, we learn; as we learn, we grow; and as we grow, we are supportive. We hope you will join us in creating a Legacy of Play in Philadelphia for generations to come.
The Celebration On Wednesday, May 14, 2014 we toasted the success of the first five exciting years at Memorial Hall and the bright future of PTM. Over 300 of our dearest friends and supporters celebrated with Dr. Jill Biden, Mayor Michael Nutter, Dave Roberts, Jennifer Weiner, and many more. Guests were treated to a larger than life Birthday Cake, specially made and designed by Nima Etemadi and Lily Fischer, Chef/Owner of Cake Life Bake Shop, and enjoyed a night of live performances from Matthew Schuler, NBC’s The Voice semi- finalist, and Duwende, NBC’s The Winner Is semi-finalist. Thanks to your important support and involvement, the event raised over $270,000. Proceeds from the event will exclusively benefit the Museum and our mission of enriching the lives of children by creating learning opportunities through play.
CONGRATULATIONS, PLEASE TOUCH MUSEUM! The Philadelphia Foundation congratulates the Please Touch Museum as it celebrates its 5th Birthday Party! Since 1918, The Philadelphia Foundation has helped transform our community through advancing economic opportunities. We link those with financial resources to those who serve societal needs. By growing the funds established by our donors and distributing grants to effective nonprofits, we build healthy communities; strengthen children and families; advance economic opportunities and enhance culture and recreation. Contact us to see how you can join in to improve the quality of life in Southeastern Pennsylvania!
THE PHILADELPHIA FOUNDATION: 1234 MARKET STREET, SUITE 1800 | PHILADELPHIA, PA 19107 | (215) 563-6417 | VISIT US ONLINE AT: WWW.PHILAFOUND.ORG
Build a legacy to stand the test of time. Abbot Downing wishes Please Touch Museum a Happy 5th Birthday at Memorial Hall. Abbot Downing goes beyond traditional financial planning services to manage the full impact of unique wealth for individuals and families, as well as foundations and endowments. To learn how we can work with you, please contact Paul Cummings at paul.cummings@abbotdowning.com or 212-845-9143.
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PHILADELPHIA MAGAZINE WISHES PLEASE TOUCH MUSEUM A TH HAPPY 5 BIRTHDAY AT MEMORIAL HALL!
The Hamilton Family wishes Please Touch Museum a very Happy 5th Birthday—and many more!!
Strategies . Solutions . Success
Harmelin Media Supports Please Touch Museum’s mission of learning through play!
Corporate Office 525 Righters Ferry Road, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004 P 610.668.7900 www.harmelin.com
Retained Executive Search
150 North Radnor Chester Road, F100 Radnor, Pennsylvania 19087 610.341.9020 www.ssgsearch.com
“Our Family has many fond memories of time spent at Please Touch Museum over the past five years. Congratulations for being such an important part of what Philadelphia has to offer!” — JOE AND JOLLY WATERMAN
Liza Cartmell and Paul Zoubek wish Please Touch Museum a Happy 5th Birthday at Memorial Hall!