The Jacksonville Area Museum Foundation has announced that it has reached one of its fundraising goals.
In November, when the public phase of its campaign to raise monies for the Jacksonville Area Museum expansion project began, Rabbi Rob and Lauren Thomas generously committed to matching up to $100,000 in donations to the campaign. Supporters of the museum responded with gifts sufficient for the full match. As a result, over $200,000 has been added to the foundation coffers since November.
According to a press release, the public phase of the campaign raised just over $246,000. More than 100 donors participated in the campaign.
Donor levels for the campaign were named after some of the Jacksonville people featured in the Living Wax Legends event held last November. Those levels and the donors to date are:
Eugene Hayden Level – $100,000 and above: Bound to Stay Bound Foundation and Bob and Karen Sibert, Rabbi Rob and Lauren Thomas
Nellie Knopf Level – $50,000 – $99,999: Louise Krussell Norris Bone
Luther Taylor Level – $25,000 – $49,999: Joy French Becker, John Clancy, The Farmers State Bank & Trust Co., Laura and Mickey Marks
Catherine Kendall Carson Level – $10,000 – $24,999: Anonymous, Dr. James and Jeanine Bohan, Robert and Janet Chipman, Kristan Becker Hoffman, Tom Ryder, The Truesdell Harlow-Truesdell Trust
Earlier this year, members of the museum announced that bids for the Phase II expansion of the museum had already been opened. According to the announcement last night, the expansion is hopefully going to be completed within the next 18 months, and will be ready for a reopening ceremony in time for the city’s bicentennial celebrations in 2025.
The announcement says the next phase will be making the lower level of the Old Post Office facility into more usable space.