THE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF RICHMOND ANNOUNCES LOCATION OF SATELLITE BRANCH IN FREDERICKSBURG!

CMoR-logo-red

New location to expand museum’s reach and educational opportunities

The Children’s Museum of Richmond has announced the location of its new satellite branch scheduled to open in Fredericksburg this spring.

CMoR Fredericksburg will be located in Eagle Village at 1225 Jefferson Davis Highway in Fredericksburg. Eagle Village is located at the former Park & Shop retail center near the intersection of U.S. Route 1 and College Avenue and is owned and managed by the University of Mary Washington Foundation. This will be the museum’s fourth branch. The other three are located in the Richmond area.

Karen Coltrane, president and CEO of CMoR said, “We wanted a central location that was near downtown, but had the parking to accommodate our visitors. Eagle Village provided the perfect combination of what we were looking for. And having the UMW foundation as the landlord has proven to be a real plus. The partnerships we believe we can develop there are exciting.

Coltrane said CMoR is delighted to be a part of the Fredericksburg community and is looking forward to the new museum’s opening in the spring. “From the beginning we have worked closely with the organization Explore it!,a dedicated group of volunteers headed by Jessica Beringer, who for years envisioned the day that the Fredericksburg area would have its own Children’s Museum. Explore it!is familiar with the community, and we know how to establish and operate a children’s museum, so together we have brought the dream of a children’s museum in Fredericksburg to life.”

Coltrane gave special credit to Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Quarles, Jr., of Fredericksburg who made the lead gift of $200,000 towards the museum’s initial fundraising goal of $635,000. Other early gifts have taken the fund raising effort well past the halfway mark including generous commitments from Mr. and Mrs. Charles Beringer, and the Fredericksburg Area Service League. Additional funding will come from the museum’s special event, Carniball and additional community-wide fund raising efforts.

Coltrane said, “The Quarles immediately saw the value of what we do and how it would benefit the children and families of their community. Mrs. Quarles in particular appreciated the value of our partnership with Explore It!,which allowed us to have a good perspective on the area’s needs while sharing our expertise in developing centers for early childhood education. Her early vote of confidence gave us the momentum we needed to make the project happen.” Coltrane also noted that the couple’s son and daughter-in-law, Douglas III and Betsy Quarles, “have been tremendously supportive, both personally and in getting the word out to others about the museum.”

With the location of the new museum decided, Coltrane is looking forward to finalizing design details and moving forward with construction. “It’s an exciting time for CMoR and for Fredericksburg. We can’t wait to open the museum’s doors.

About The Children’s Museum of Richmond

The Children’s Museum of Richmond has three locations, CMoR Central at 2626 W. Broad Street in Richmond; CMoR Short Pump, located in West Broad Village at 2200 Old Brick Road in Glen Allen; and CMoR Chesterfield at 6629 Lake Harbour Drive in Midlothian. CMoR was the first Children’s Museum in the country to open multiple locations and has announced plans to open a new location in Fredericksburg, Virginia in 2014. The Children’s Museum of Richmond has been serving the community since 1981 with the mission to create innovative learning experiences for all children and those who support them that inspire the next generation of creative problem solvers. For more information, please visit www.ChildrensMuseumOfRichmond.org or call (804) 474-7000.