Children’s Museum of Eau Claire
CMEC is an interactive environment for children and their grown-ups in the Chippewa Valley that inspires imagination, discovery, creativity, and the love of learning. See, touch, learn, and grow.
CMEC Mission Statement
The Children's Museum of Eau Claire is an interactive environment for children and their grown-ups that inspires imagination, discovery, creativity, and the love of learning.
CMEC Vision Statement
Children's Museum of Eau Claire-a place to see, touch, learn, and grow.
The Children's Museum of Eau Claire is a non-profit organization that was the inspiration of Patrick Rebman. In September of 2000, Patrick was talking with an Eau Claire City Council member about Boyd School - an elementary school in Eau Claire that was going to be replaced with a new building at a different location. The Council member told Patrick that the City was going to give the old building away or sell it for $1. Patrick, the father of a five-year old daughter, had the inspiration to use the building to create a children's museum and asked his friends, Suzie Slota & Tina Radichel, to help him.
As it turned out, Boyd School was not being given away or sold for a small amount of money and Patrick, Suzie & Tina quickly discovered that it probably wasn't a feasible location for the new museum. However, everyone who heard of the idea to start a museum was excited and before long a number of people stepped forward to support the idea. The media also picked up the story and word of the effort spread quickly.
In December 2000 paperwork was filed and the Children's Museum of Eau Claire, Inc. was officially formed. A Board of Directors was formed and had its first meeting in January 2001. By March, CMEC had received notice of its tax-exempt status. As a 501(c)(3) organization, CMEC could now solicit tax-deductible donations.
The Board went to work developing a business plan, searching for a location, learning about children's museums, and planning for fundraising. As a new member of the Association of Children's Museum, CMEC had access to information on how to start a museum and the wisdom of many others who had done the same thing.
While there was a lot of enthusiasm from many members of the community, there was also hesitancy from others. Many people had never been to a children's museum and didn't understand what they were. The word "museum" led many to believe that children's museums displayed historical children's items like baby buggies and dolls, instead of being the centers of hands-on learning through play that they actually are. Many people also questioned whether or not the founders - all people in their late 20's who had never done anything like this before - would actually be able to make the museum a reality.
So the first year and a half were dedicated to talking to as many people as possible - explaining what children's museums are and why they are important - and developing fundraising and business plans that would reassure potential supporters that plans were in place to make the museum a reality and, once open, sustainable for years to come.
The CMEC founders and Board of Directors also worked hard to show how the Children's Museum could help with the revitalization of downtown Eau Claire. In November 2001 CMEC began renting the old Woolworth's building on the corner of Barstow Street and Grand Avenue (the current location of the museum). Back in the hey day of downtown, this intersection was known as the Four Corners and was the center of all activity. CMEC believed it could make it that again. Children's museums across the country have proven to draw young families into dying downtowns, bringing in much-needed traffic and the types of people who are often times absent from deteriorating city centers.
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