Like many of our donors, Alison Lebovitz frequently visits Creative Discovery Museum with her three young sons.  They can be found digging in the sand for dinosaur bones, splashing in RiverPlay, or getting creative in the music studio.  Over the years, however, she has discovered that the Museum is more than a fun place to spend time with her children.

"We are so much more than a children's museum that serves the needs of specific families," says Alison. "We partner with 20 or more agencies to provide services and opportunities to people not only within the Museum, but also outside our doors."

Alison Lebovitz, Museum member and former Board Chair

"A family came over to me and asked if I would mind talking their niece because she was in the hospital. I talked to her on the phone and told her that when she got better, maybe she could come see the exhibit and meet me. I felt like I was at Disney World. The little girl was happy, and her aunt and uncle were smiling very big. The experience meant a lot to me.”

“Caroline really loves it (Friends Discovery Camp). At camp, she gets to interact with peers, which doesn’t happen in the school day all that often. And in the summer, that facilitated interaction is even less—even though we are around other families and other children, we’re not necessarily working on her interactions every single day. It’s a great learning opportunity in the middle of summer.”

"It's a wonderful way to provide creative, educational fun for children of all ages. She has a lot of fun, but she also thrives on the mental stimulation. She enjoys being challenged to discover the "why" or "how" of Museum exhibits, and it invariably leads to a discussion about how things work, the wonders of nature, or another topic of learning. She now often asks if we can go 'to that fun place downtown."

“I think it was very powerful for the public to see how a school uses the Museum as a resource. The visitors were impressed to see that this is the kind of learning that kids are doing in a public school.”

“The kids always enjoy themselves. There is something for everyone to do. From my oldest down to my youngest, they all look forward to it. They can enjoy themselves with toys we don’t have at home.”