Children’s museum short on needed funds

Bayou Country Children’s Museum officials said last week that the organization is still lacking the funds it needs to build a 12,500-foot facility, including exhibit and gallery space, in Thibodaux.

So far, museum executive director Christy Naquin said the museum has 20 major supporters, along with several others contributors. But it needs more.

The total cost of the museum is a little more than $4.2 million. Board of directors member Kathleen Gros said the amount is post-Katrina figures. The original amount for the museum was $3.5 million.

Gros heads the museum’s capital campaign committee. The committee put together a three-year operational budget and purchased the land for the proposed site near Nicholls State University.

The group started looking at raising funds for the building in 1998. Sponsorship for the museum varies. It can range from $500 to $500,000. The funds are payable over five years.

The highest level of donations is the naming sponsor. Gros said it cost $2 million to be the naming sponsor for the museum. It’s payable over 10 years.

All donations are tax deductible, she said.

Naquin said the progress of the interactive museum has been steady, but in order to build the facility the organization needs more donations.

Most recently, John Deere of Thibodaux donated $100,000 to sponsor two exhibits in the agriculture gallery, the sugarcane harvester and the sugarcane maze.

“The sponsorship for these two sugarcane exhibits is natural for John Deere,” Jesse Lopez, marketing manager for John Deere, said. “We are thrilled to support the BCCM and to contribute to the capital campaign.

“This partnership will give our employees a safe environment to which they can bring their families for a fun and educational experience,” he added.

During the summer, museum designers unveiled the blueprints for the facility. Lead design engineer Mike Bourgeois of Duplantis Design Group said the largest and most important space in the building is the gallery space.

The other areas include a gift shop, administrative offices, a conference room, a gathering room for field trip groups, two party rooms and a bricked courtyard, featuring the “Founder’s Fountain” that will display the names of the museum’s top supporters.

“The footprint of the building comes well before we start having fun with the look of the exterior,” Bourgeois said.

The museum will have some characteristics similar to an historical museum with its educational exhibits that enhance learning. However, it will differ because many of the exhibits are hands-on, unlike many of the local museums in the area, Gros said.

The nine educational adventure galleries will act as a gateway of knowledge to educate and promote the unique cultures and industries of south Louisiana, Naquin said.

Lafourche Parish Schools Superintendent Jo Ann Matthews said she encourages the effort of the board of directors and all others involved in opening the museum where children will experience the celebration of learning.

“The museum will not only provide the type of recreational learning experience desired by parents and adults, it will have a lasting impact on our children’s development,” she said.

The museum is expected to serve as a regional setting for nearly eight parishes including Lafourche, Terrebonne, St. Mary, Assumption, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, St. James and Ascension parishes.

Naquin said she is focused on organizing fundraisers to pursue corporate and individual donations to help build the facility.

“My five-year-old son tells everyone that his mom is building a children’s museum, and I will not let him or them down,” she said.