Community leaders unleashed their inner child at JCI Santa Clarita’s “Leap Laboratory: Night at the Museum” fundraiser on Tuesday night, enjoying an evening filled with science, magic, and sensory experiences.
Guests participated in hands-on activities that celebrated science, imagination, and exploration, a kind of excitement usually reserved for young children.
But as laughter from guests filled the Tesoro Clubhouse when they moved between sensory stations dedicated to smell, taste, sound, touch, and sight, the fun-filled evening served as a reminder that imagination and curiosity know no age limit.
The inaugural event aimed to raise funds in support for the Leap (Learn, Experience, Act, Play) Santa Clarita Children’s Museum popup scheduled to be held for five weekends in the upcoming summer at the Valencia Town Center mall.
LEAP Children’s Museum President Kari McCoy, who is the heart and soul of the effort, according to many of her peers, envisions a place in Santa Clarita where children and families can come together to experience interactive exhibits that allow them to tap into their imagination and fun learning.
“But while they’re learning, we’re also showcasing science, technology, agriculture, art, and also careers and occupations,” she said.
Last summer, LEAP Santa Clarita Children’s Museum made its debut at the local mall for two weekends and saw over 1,700 visitors in the 42 hours it was open, McCoy said. Many of the visitors came from other communities including Fresno, Monrovia, Bakersfield and the Antelope Valley.
Encouraged by the positive response, McCoy and the local JCI group hope to see a permanent location for the museum in Santa Clarita become a reality in the near future.
“So beyond my vision for my children to have a space like this, to get off of their screens and to see a new variety of careers explored and the science engagement that they might not understand … this is outside dollars coming into Santa Clarita,” McCoy said. “We also are bringing a better economy to us, for us to be a destination, for our restaurants to be filled, for more people to want to come fill our housing.”
According to McCoy, the evening fundraiser was supported by 36 local community partnerships, with Santa Clarita Councilman Jason Gibbs and the SCV Rotary Club serving as title sponsors.
For Gibbs, supporting McCoy’s efforts in bringing the Children’s Museum to life was important to him for two reasons.
“Education changes lives,” he said, and the Children’s Museum is “a place to learn in a different way. A place where you go not to learn answers, but to learn new questions. To learn new thoughts, to learn new experiences on what you want to be and what you can achieve and what hasn’t been thought of yet.”
His second reason as to why he truly believes in the Children’s Museum is because of McCoy herself.
“I believe in your mission,” Gibbs said as he spoke to her in front of all the guests. “When we met, you simply listened. You took everything I said, and you just kept going. That’s what this world needs. If you have a vision, if you have a passion and a heart for something, you don’t stop, no one stops you. We need more of that in this town.”
Scott Hoolahan, president of the SCV Rotary Club, also shared a few words as to why the nonprofit chose to support the Leap Children’s Museum efforts.
“Two of our pillars of what Rotary believes in is education and children. Building a better world for children, so it just went hand in hand,” Hoolahan said. He shared that when he was a child he’d go to the museum and constantly touch things, and sometimes was even scolded for it, which is why he believes it’s important “to have a museum that’s made for a curious kid like myself.”
Throughout the evening, guests took part in the sensory stations for a chance to win tickets to The Magic Castle, in the heart of the Hollywood Hills, and witnessed a special magic show from award winning magician Chris Canfield, known for his mind-bending illusions and an appearance on the TV show, “Penn & Teller: Fool Us.”
McCoy, filled with gratitude, told the audience: “I am a face of all of you that made this happen. Every one of you believing in this has got us where we are today. It really takes a team effort. It’s not just me.”
