In honor of the Smithsonian giving away a free day at their museums, maybe there’s something we can all do to repay our local museums.  Museum funding, especially for smaller museums, is really difficult. Even the major established institutions, unless they are well-endowed, are having a hard time figuring out how they are going to continue their operations.  Some museums are being forced to make the hard decision between shutting down for good or selling off portions of their collections to private collectors.  That means, we, the public lose access to timeless art, culture, and knowledge.

So how can YOU help?

Well, there’s one simple and obvious way to help, and that’s to make donations to your local museums.  Cash is always a good thing.  But here’s a real challenge for you. Instead of giving cash, give your time.  Almost every museum has a museum “volunteer” program of some sort or another.  By giving your time as a museum volunteer, you can help reduce museum operating costs and stretch their funding dollars just a little further. In a recent conversation I had with Heather Hope, Public Relations Manager at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science she told me:

The museum is powered by over 1200 volunteers.  They help to serve our visitors and make visiting the museum fun.

And what’s so great about this is that it’s actually fun being a museum volunteer.  You get to learn things that you wouldn’t ordinarily know.  You get to go behind the scenes and see some really cool things. One of  The Hens and her Rooster volunteered at a local aquarium and had amazing experiences with all kinds of animals…and aquarium visitors too! Please get involved and “Do Good” today.