JANESVILLE — Downtown Janesville and the Children’s Museum of Rock County are co-hosting a special fundraising event at Music at the Marv this Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024 at the Marvin Roth Community Pavilion on Courthouse Hill.
The program begins at 6:15 p.m. with introductions by representatives for DJI and CMRC, as well as special guest Ashley Kix, host of the Morning Show on WJVL. The Museum Night will feature music from Grand Groove Hotel, kids activities, free youth t-shirts, silent auction items, food trucks, and displays of the children’s museum’s latest design renderings.
Eventgoers can bid on 14 silent auction baskets ranging in value from $90 to $2,000, containing various locally-sourced products and gifts. Additionally, the entire CMRC Board of Directors will be present to answer community member questions about the children’s museum.
“We’ve already raised $60,000 from VIP event sponsorships and pre-sale on high value silent auction items,” Olivia McCarthy, the CMRC’s Public Relations and Communications Director said. “Grassroots events like these are vital to taking us over the finish line.”
The nonprofit says it’s closing in on its Let’s PLAY Together capital campaign fundraising goal of $10 million, with over to $8.5 million raised to date. Last month, Capital Campaign Chair and CMRC Board President, John Westphal, announced that the campaign had received an anonymous $250,000 matching pledge. The CMRC will use the funds to repurpose the historical First National Bank at 100 W. Milwaukee Street in downtown Janesville into a children’s museum.
“DJI is excited at the prospect of having a children’s museum downtown and the value it is going to add to our community,” said Elaina Szyjewski, Managing Director for DJI. “We hope that collaborating on Museum Night is just the start of the great things our organizations will be doing together in the future.”
Ben and Macy Ryan sponsored Music at the Marv during the 2024 summer season for the benefit of the CMRC. “The Children’s Museum is one of the most exciting projects in Rock County’s history, which will be a much-needed amenity for families and will play a vital role in our downtown revitalization,” the couple said in a statement. “Music at the Marv attracts thousands of people downtown, and we knew this was a good opportunity for a collaboration to raise awareness about the CMRC and its fundraising efforts.”
The CMRC expects capital campaign fundraising to conclude later this year with construction of the museum expected to take 10 to 13 months to complete after ground-breaking. Those interested can keep up-to-date on campaign and construction progress on the CMRC website at kidsatplayrc.com and CMRC’s social media pages.