March 25 is slated to be a big day for the Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert in Rancho Mirage.
The museum, like so many other congregate destinations throughout Coachella Valley, was forced to shut its doors due to COVID-19 back in March 2020. The board of directors decided that the indefinite period of closure would provide the ideal opportunity to initiate a “re-imagination” campaign for the 27-year-old facility. New exhibits would be conceived, designed, built and installed—but copious fundraising would be needed to pay the projected $3 million cost of the upgrade’s first phase.
“We raised in excess of $2 million,” museum CEO Cindy Burreson told the Independent in a recent interview, “and then First Bank came in to help us with a line of credit that closed that funding gap so that we could finish the project. We are fundraising to pay that money back and to move forward. We’ll be fundraising forever—and I think the thing that people forget is that we’re a nonprofit.”
While 40 new exhibits—each integrated with one of the six program themes of “Imagine,” “Express,” “Move,” “Experiment,” “Explore” and “Dream”—will be installed soon, the museum board decided in mid-February that it would not rush that installation process, and would instead delay the official re-opening until late May.
Still, March 25 remains a significant date at the museum: It’s the day when staff will launch two weeks of spring break camp, providing 20 children each week with five days of varied activities. The camp sessions will be held inside the main museum building as work goes on.
“This spring break theme is ‘Guardians of the Green,’” Burreson said. “It’s all about environmental awareness, and repurposing items to create new things with the kids. Also, we have some guest speakers coming in.”
Another improvement: Upon its re-opening in May, the museum will be designated as a certified autism center.
“Visit Greater Palm Springs has an initiative … to make the (area an) autism-ready destination by including different venues like restaurants and hospitality businesses,” Burreson said. “So, for example, the JW Marriott and The Living Desert … have already been certified. Now we are part of that as well. One hundred percent of our staff will be trained in sensory sensitivity awareness, and we will have sensory bags at the front desk. We’re building a low-sensory room as well, and we got a grant for accessibility funds. So our focus is reopening the museum, but also reopening it in a way that welcomes all families of all abilities by really increasing accessibility.”
March 25 remains a significant date at the museum: It’s the day when staff will launch two weeks of spring break camp, providing 20 children each week with five days of varied activities.
The plan has been to develop the main museum building into a space featuring experiences for children up to 8 years old; this is where the 40 new exhibits are being constructed. Plans for the second and third phases have been tweaked to focus more attention on activities for toddlers and the sensory-challenged, and create a caregiver library.
“The next phase will be the toddler and the sensory spaces … and our plan is to revamp the second building,” Burreson said. “Then we’ll have the third building with the programming for middle school- and high school-aged kids. I don’t know in what order that will all take place, and we’re still looking to obtain funding for that as well.”
The museum is accepting sponsorship deals for name placement on the crayon-shaped pillars surrounding the main lawn on the campus. As part of the “Color Our Courtyard” campaign, for a $15,000 donation, a sponsor gets to place its/their name (and logo) on one of the crayon pillars for four years.
“Essentially, it’s a vinyl wrap that looks like a Crayola crayon wrapper,” Burreson said. “… It’s just a great way to get some color, get some great donor recognition and, of course, generate some funding as we near our (Phase 1) finish line.”
Given the unexpected four-year closure, does Burreson have any concerns about re-connecting with past visitors and reaching new fans once operations re-start?
“I think that there’s pent-up demand. People want this place to re-open,” Burreson said. “It’s a real treasure. I know, as a mom myself, that my kids love this place, and I always tell people when I’m out in the community that when my husband and I looked at our pictures, we have 700 or 800 photos of our kids here at the museum. What I want for every family is (to be able) to look back and think of this place, and remember the times they shared as a family, and the learning opportunities, and the laughs they shared, and stuff like that. My hope is, and I think our (team’s) hope is, that folks are going to rally around the museum. I think we will have a whole new generation of kids who have been born since right before the pandemic, or during the pandemic, or since then who have never been here. We’re going to welcome new families as well, so I think it’s going to be really great.”
On Feb. 28, the Rancho Mirage Chamber of Commerce was slated to honor the museum at its annual “Rammys” outstanding business awards event.
“We are winning what’s called the ‘Heart of Rancho Mirage’ (award),” Burreson said. “We’re really excited about that. We’re very grateful for the community’s excitement and for their support.
“Remember that every dollar does matter. We are participating in that big CV Giving Day event (on March 5; www.cvgivingday.org), so we would love for folks to keep us in mind when they’re looking for their places to support. We appreciate every opportunity folks take to champion the museum, and to support it financially as well.”
For more information, visit cdmod.org.
