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parents, and families together in a setting that builds mutual knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy.” As Hemker explains, SPARK helps engage and support families in the community as their child’s first teachers. The museum is designed to lay the foundation for later learning, academic, and career success. They staff does this by providing focus areas that help all children in the community address the importance of social, emotional, and cognitive aspects of learning that include persistence, self-direction, critical thinking, and problem solving. Strong Community Support The support of the Rochester community thus far has been instrumental in reaching the museum’s goals and creating a welcoming and educationally rich environment for all visitors. This year alone, the museum has received support from over 100 local businesses that have provided grants, sponsorships, and in-kind donations. The museum also strives to connect with the community through program partnerships. According to Hemker, SPARK’s programming allows visiting families to experience a variety of activities and topics presented by members of the greater Rochester community. The museum has partnered with over 50 businesses and organizations in the past year to provide educational STEAM, cultural connectedness, and health and well-being programs. The SPARK Museum is excited to announce new exhibits opening in December 2021 which include an air wall, Engineering Gear Wall, Light Bright, Race Track, and Reaction Time Wall. And then this spring, the museum will welcome a brand new, permanent exhibit, called Smarter City. “We are extremely proud of our success in our first 16 months especially since opening during a pandemic and having limited hours and closing for periods of time due to mandated shutdowns,” Hemker says. “We have lots of plans ready to launch which had to wait due to the environment and times we opened in this first year.” The museum plans to grow in programming, exhibits, hours, events, partnerships and overall impact.
The SPARK Museum has seen exponential growth this past year. They even plan to open more exhibits this December, 2021!
SPARK board member Jenny Hosfeld, president and chief banking officer at Think Bank, says SPARK is an important part of the business and community ecosystem in the Rochester region. “Having places for young people to go that provide education and entertainment in a safe environment is an important part of the fabric of our community,” Hosfeld says. “The more opportunities there are in Rochester for families to connect and learn the better the quality of life for people living or visiting the area.” Hosfeld believes businesses support SPARK because they understand how important it is to their employees and to those that visit the area to have safe, engaging and educational places for children. “The more diverse the community is with opportunities to live outside of work and spend time together as families makes Rochester a more appealing community to live and work in,” Hosfeld says. “The more attractive Rochester is for people to live in, the easier it is to recruit talent for business. And starting educational programs, like SPARK, at an early age helps set the kids up for even more success in their future.” You can visit SPARK in person at 1201 12th St. SW, Ste 632, Rochester, or online at www.sparkrochestermn. org
| Advantage Magazine 6
December 2021
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