PNC Funds Space Walk of Fame Project
$10,000 Grant for Pre-K STEAM Programs
Titusville, Dec. 21, 2015 — A commitment to energizing students toward science, technology, math and engineering has earned the U.S. Space Walk of Fame Museum a $10,000 grant from the PNC Foundation.
The funding will be used to underwrite the museum’s STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts and math) programming and, specifically, will help with the development of the new Astro Kids book series. The series will tackle science and technology topics in a fun and interesting way for thousands of children in grades K-3.
“We are so grateful for PNC’s civic-minded approach and commitment to serve and support local communities,” said Executive Director Tara Dixon Engel. “Our museum is growing and evolving and it is through support like this that we can truly begin to change lives and inspire a positive new tomorrow.”
PNC officials Lisa Wilder, regional manager for the Space Coast region, and Marc Huey, senior vice president of business banking, visited the museum on Dec. 15 to award the grant and tour the facility.
“Our support of the U.S. Space Walk of Fame Museum’s STEAM program is a strategic investment in the future of our preschoolers,” said Wilder, speaking on behalf of the PNC Foundation. “Studies have shown that a science-rich environment helps children succeed in school. By helping preschoolers to learn about science in a fun and interactive way, we support a solid foundation for the well-being of local children, their families and ultimately, our economy.”
The Director, along with museum docent Mike Lombardo, took the bank officials through the museum’s exhibit halls, and showed off some of the education projects that are offered to students by the facility’s Spacewalk Academy.
“Our Museum Refresh 2016 will get underway shortly as we update and enhance the flow of the museum and the design of our interactives,” Engel explained. “We will also be expanding our education program to accommodate all the overflow from our STEAM Saturdays. And, of course, we are preparing for our annual Astronaut Dinner on Jan. 21 at the King Center. This year, the dinner has a retro 1960s theme, which will include local crooner Alfie Silva offering the sounds of Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and others of that era. So far, we have almost a dozen astronauts on board. It’s going to be great!”
The Director noted that support such as the grant from PNC helps the museum continue to preserve America’s space history as well as inspiring a new generation of innovators and explorers.
The PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group (NYSE: PNC), actively supports organizations that provide services for the benefit of communities in which it has a significant presence. The foundation focuses its philanthropic mission on early childhood education and community and economic development, which includes the arts and culture. Through Grow Up Great, its signature cause that began in 2004, PNC has created a $350 million, multi-year initiative to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life.
For more information call 321-264-0434.