A different kind of hands-on opportunity

Explorit Science Center needs your help. More specifically, the center invites you to "Give Explorit a Hand."

More than 70 individuals, businesses and foundations already have in a way that will leave a lasting imprint on Explorit for years to come.

In this new facet of Explorit's capital campaign, supporters who pledge $1,000, $2,500 or more receive, as a thank-you, a gold or silver "hand" plaque that can be personalized with your name(s) and/or message. The plaques will be unveiled in April and permanently displayed on a donor wall in the center?s new building on Second Street in Davis.

The Frankel family of Davis was the first to specifically purchase and engrave a hand plaque for the donor wall. In October, Barbara Frankel contacted Explorit about opportunities to honor her husband, Tom, in recognition of his 65th birthday. Tom, a former Explorit trustee, had said that he did not want any gifts. To Barbara, an engraved plaque that not only acknowledged Tom but also supported Explorit's expansion seemed like the perfect solution.

So in December, Barbara, along with her son and daughter, presented Tom with the plaque. "It was such a lovely thing," Tom recalled. "Explorit fills a big need and deserves community support. I was honored."

The plaques resemble the engraved "donor bricks" you see on many public facilities that are built from the ground up. Explorit decided to look beyond the "brick" concept. Given the hands-on nature of the science center, what could be more appropriate than "hand" plaques?

By giving Explorit a tax-deductible plaque, you contribute in a very vital way to helping the center reach the finish line of its capital campaign. So far, Explorit has raised $1.24 million of its $2.4 million goal. That sum will allow the center to own the building debt-free and add more hands-on exhibits.

The money raised through the hand drive will allow Explorit to open a Wet Lab on the new building's first floor. There will be big sinks and stainless-steel tables for fun and messy science learning, all of it hands-on and dovetailing with the Changing Exhibition in the main gallery. The Wet Lab will contain an Animal Alcove that will house Madagascar hissing cockroaches, Vietnamese walking sticks and a Chilean rose tarantula. Both will debut in March.

Other goals for the expansion include: developing a large gallery on the second floor with long-term exhibits exploring everything from bikes to music to animation; creating a Community Science Gallery, which will showcase the fascinating work of other science groups in the area; and dedicating a special area for preschoolers called the Little Hands Space. Explorit's goal is to open these spaces in early 2008.

Most importantly, support to the capital campaign will help Explorit finish paying for the new facility and put its full focus on what it does best, involving people in science experiences that touch our lives. Did you know that last year, the center presented hands-on science programs to about 50,000 students in Northern California schools and hosted about 7,600 children, teachers and chaperones on field trips? The center's staff likes nothing better than to excite young people, often from schools with very few resources, about science.

Explorit hands are available with a $1,000 or $2,500 pledge, payable over three years. If you have questions about the program, please contact Allison Cagley, development director, at (530) 756-0191, ext. 106, or by e-mail to allison@explorit.org. More information and a pledge form are available at www.explorit.org.

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Explorit Science Center is open at its new site, 2801 Second St., Davis. Through March  11, you can visit the exhibition "From Codes to Crystals: Patterns All Around." Public hours are Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday from 2 to 4:30 p.m. For more information:   www.explorit.org or (530) 756-0191.