On Thursday, May 20 Hands-on House Board Chair Kevin VanPelt got his just “desserts.” With a little help from Cylo, the Lancaster Barnstormers mascot, VanPelt delivered on a promise made in November.
Last fall, Hands-on House set a goal to raise $10,500 through Extraordinary Give. With our 2020 fundraisers canceled or scaled back due to the pandemic, this funding would be crucial. Still, it felt ambitious in an uncertain year. An enthusiastic (and somewhat competitive) Board of Directors championing our cause and sharing our story played an important role in encouraging contributions. And a little incentive never hurts: VanPelt, Manager at Walz Group, had pledged to take a pie in the face if we met our goal.
In 24 hours, the community contributed $10,337 to Hands-on House: an incredible 98% of our goal. With one final donation, from none other than Walz Group, to put us over the top, we officially met our goal of $10,500.
Extraordinary Give contributions have enabled Hands-on House to continue offering art and story time as part of admission, update and improve our exhibits, bring more STEM activities into the Museum, and offer landmark learning experiences to more children in our community.