PEORIA, Ill. – The largest gift ever given to the Peoria Riverfront Museum will benefit students all across central Illinois.
On Thursday, the museum announced a $5 million endowment gift from the Barton Family Foundation. The gift will go towards the Every Student Initiative program, now in its 10th year.
The initiative allows free access to the museum for students, their families, and teachers.
Museum President and CEO John Morris says the gift will help give “permanent access” for students to the museum. He says that’s due to the interest generated from the endowment being able to cover the program.
Morris adds that the large donation could lead to even more donations, and expand the reach of the initiative.
“When they see what the kids can get here, maybe they can take a piece of merchandise out of the store home with them, maybe their teachers could get more benefits, maybe we can do things in the schools, as well as getting them ready to come to the museum,” Morris said.
Peoria Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Jerry Bell was part of the early development of the Every Student Initiative program in his first stint with the district. He now leads PPS, and says the growth has been “phenomenal.”
Bell’s hope is that the initiative can help inspire PPS students to a wide-range of careers.
“We can say children are going to grow up to be doctors, lawyers, accountants, all that. But we have children who have that artistic endeavor within them, that gene, if you will,” Bell said. “Having them come through these doors to experience first-hand what other geniuses of an artistic nature have already done will be the impetus for them to have the life of an artist.”
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