"A Message From Our President Gary Pigg..."

Gary Pigg
President

Warm winter greetings fellow travelers! Yes, we are on a trip together around the sun and we are on the winter side just now. I rather like the seasons we enjoy in Fresno, especially since I don't have to shovel any of it. My wife, Pam, is from the land of nine months of winter and two months of tough sledding. Go Packers!

I was visiting the Center two days ago when the weather was a little drippy and overcast, but the kids who were coming into the Center for Winter Camp were all smiles and on tippy-toes. That will warm your heart. We are able, though generous donations from you, to offer camp scholarships to the Fresno Police Athletic League (Fresno PAL). Karen Kroske, a PALs Community Services Officer, put us in contact with a west-side PALs group who were able to send eight young people to the week-long camp. Karen told me that the west-side group leader was so thrilled to have these scholarships that she got teary-eyed and was going to spread the opportunity around by sending eight different children each day. Perhaps someday we will have enough scholarship funding to allow each child a week-long adventure to the Center. We would love to do that and have the staff and capacity to do so.

In December, the Trustees and Staff met in the Nature Kids classroom for a Christmas luncheon. We spent the time getting our pictures taken for the Contact Us tab on the website, enjoyed a meal and learning more about why we are all so interested in nature and science. Shannon Escobedo (see her picture on the webpage) told us a marvelous and instructive story about how as a three-year old, a Forest Service Ranger put their Ranger's hat on her. That experience has stayed with Shannon and encouraged her to study the natural sciences. Her early experience of someone taking an interest in her is one we all can relate to as we have all been positively influenced by thoughtful people we've met growing up.

Her experience illuminates our Mission Statement, which states that the Discovery Center (is) "An educational science center offering children an outdoor hands-on learning experience to stimulate passion, curiosity and wonder for the environment and physical sciences."

We ask you to join with us by sharing this newsletter with your friends and encouraging them to visit us Monday through Saturday. Entrance to the Center is free. If you have questions about supporting or attending one of our programs, please ask for Janet Berry, Volunteer Executive Director, or email me and we will get the answers you need. We depend entirely on your support through funding scholarships and donations. We look forward to serving you and our community in 2009.

Sincerely,
Gary L Pigg
MBA
President
The Discovery Center
(o) 559-438-7040
garypigg@yahoo.com