The University of Mississippi Museum Working toward Free Family Activity Days

The University of Mississippi Museum and Ignite Ole Miss, which is the University of Mississippi’s crowdfunding platform for community fundraising, are partnering to launch the first scale funding campaign.

According to Rebecca Phillips, the membership, events, and communications coordinator, “We launched April 1 and have until April 30. Our campaign is to raise $6,000 to provide FREE Family Activity Days for three years! So far we have raised $2,500 which covers one year of Free Family Days for families in the community.”

The University of Mississippi Museum organizes Family Activity Days two to three times a semester. These days are to get families involved with the Museum and help the children grow and enrich their educational learning through various events. These events can vary based on the traveling exhibits displayed at the Museum.

Refreshments are offered as well as activities lead by the Museum’s educational team. A lot of time and energy goes into making the Family Activity Days a success. Just last year more than 800 children participated in the Family Activity Days.

Previous Family Activity Days have been sponsored by the Children’s Dental Center. The staff of the Museum would like this to continue because they do not want to turn a child away because of the cost of the events.

Ole Miss Ignite Representative, Angela Avery explained, “In the past, the UM Museum had sought private individuals to “sponsor” free family days at the museum. In an effort to provide for several years’ worth of free family days they decided a crowdfunding campaign would be worth the investment of their time and energy.”

Emily McCauley, Education Curator of the Museum, said, “Family Days really embody what the University of Mississippi Museum is all about. Seeing children with their parents, grandparents, and friends exploring the museum and creating art together is one of the most rewarding parts of my job. Our vision with this Ignite Ole Miss Campaign is that all families will discover the museum without the limitations of cost and create lasting memories and cultural experiences that they will carry with them for years to come.”

Any contribution, large or small, will help the Museum achieve their goal. Family Activity Days bring families to the Museum and give children experiences they will cherish.

“We want to make sure Family Activity Days are accessible for all families,” Phillips said. She continued to say, “In the month of April, we hope families and businesses will donate and support to help us reach our goal and give children in the community a constant creative outlet for years to come.”

“In the pilot phase of Ignite Ole Miss, we hand-picked a few projects that we thought would be successful. Now any Ole Miss group that is interested in creating a crowdfunding campaign can apply via our online application on our main website. (See “Apply Now” link on top header right side https://ignite.olemiss.edu),” Avery said.

Spread the word of the Museum’s aspiration by sharing their story through social media. Follow the Museum or Facebook or Twitter and use the hashtag: #FREEFAMILYDAYS. If you would like to donate, you can do so here.

Molly Brosier is a HottyToddy.com staff reporter and can be reached at mebrosie@go.olemiss.edu.