The Hamburg Natural History Society, which governs the Penn Dixie Paleontological & Outdoor Education Center in Hamburg, NY, is pleased to announce an award of $3,875 from Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western New York.
The grant will be used to purchase telescopes and microscopes towards the development of new astronomy programming at the Penn Dixie Site. The programming will augment existing volunteer-based efforts and will support the creation of new, hands-on science activities. These programs will be open to the public and local K-12 and scout groups.
The award will also add a digital projector, screen, and power stations for microscopes to Penn Dixie’s outdoor classroom. Given new capabilities, Penn Dixie will now be able to create an outdoor science lab that will be ideal for hands-on inquiry investigations of the natural world. Additionally, the grant will be used to develop culturally relevant astronomy programming for local Native American students.
The grant monies used to support this award were raised through the efforts of the local McDonald’s restaurants in the Western New York community, and in part by national McDonald’s promotional programs. Ronald McDonald House Charities provides lodging, comfort and emotional support to families of children receiving medical treatment at area hospitals, and reaches out to families in the community by supporting programs that benefit children.
Photo credit RMHC. Includes: Sarah Tarnowski (PD Director of Education), Joseph Ferrino (RMHC Director), Phil Stokes (PD Executive Director), and Jim Eiseman (PD Director) at the RMHC award ceremony in November 2016.
Additionally, Penn Dixie thanks Patrick Miller, Ernie Jacobs, and Jim Maroney for their assistance in securing this funding.