A Letter from our President
CMofIL President Amber Kaylor has penned a letter regarding our current state under COVID-19 restrictions.
To our supporters and community:
The COVID-19 crisis has turned all of our lives upside down. We are all experiencing uncertainty in our own way. Like so many businesses, this is an extremely difficult time for Children’s Museum of Illinois. We closed our doors on March 15th in an effort to protect our visitors and staff. As I write this letter I do not know when we will be able to reopen.
Museum staff is working diligently to provide online engagement opportunities for you and your family. We began sharing Home Fun for Everyone resources to engage young minds outside of the Museum’s walls. Our next steps include bringing the Museum to you through online content that will highlight our exhibits and their learning objectives. We will continue to serve our mission of enhancing our community through the informal education of the arts and sciences.
I have served as president of Children’s Museum of Illinois for 4 years and have seen our mission come to life every day — in the joy of our visitors, the passion of our employees and volunteers, and the generosity of our donors. For the past three decades, Children’s Museum of Illinois has provided playful learning experiences to millions of visitors. We take pride in ensuring that our museum is accessible to all families, regardless of income or the special needs of each child. CMofIL contributes to the cultural and economic vitality of our region.
The closure puts the Museum in a dire financial situation. Children’s Museum of Ilinois is a nonprofit organization that relies on ticket sales, memberships, exhibit rentals, donations, grants and fundraising income for its operating revenue. The closure comes during our busiest attendance season, making the impact all the more severe. We are projecting that a 12-week closure will diminish the organization’s income from March through June by more than $250K or 50% of CMofIL’s annual operating budget.
We are taking steps to put the organization in the best position to re-open and continue our mission. We are pursuing all opportunities to improve our revenue outlook. With the passing of the CARES Act, the bill allows for up to $300 in charitable contributions to be an above-the-line deduction, meaning you don’t have to itemize to claim the deduction. Contributions must be cash donation(s) to qualified charities. The bill increases the cap on annual giving from 60% of adjusted gross income to 100%. If you are in a financial position to support Children’s Museum of Illinois or ANY local nonprofit organization(s), please do.
I want to thank everyone who supports CMofIL and all of those working tirelessly on behalf of this community!
Sincerely,
Amber D. Kaylor
President & CEO, Children’s Museum of Illinois