Long Island Children's Museum Participates in Blue Star Museums

Long Island Children's Museum is one of more than 600 museums to offer free admission to military personnel and their families this summer through the Blue Star Museums program.

Garden City, NY, May 26, 2010 --(PR.com)-- The Long Island Children’s Museum announced its partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, and more than 600 museums across America to offer free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families from June 1 through Labor Day 2010. Families can visit www.licm.org for museum hours and special program information.

“Expressing gratitude is a lesson we share with our visitors and participation in the Blue Star Museums program allows the Children’s Museum to demonstrate our thanks to service families across the nation,” said LICM Executive Director Suzanne LeBlanc. “We look forward to welcoming many new Blue Star families to LICM and to providing them with memorable family time; a precious commodity for military families.” The program serves as an extension of the Children’s Museum’s efforts to assist military families year round.

“America’s museums are proud to join the rest of the country in thanking our military personnel and their families for their service and sacrifice,” said National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Rocco Landesman. “I cannot imagine a better way to do that than welcoming them in to explore and enjoy the extraordinary cultural heritage our museums present. The works of art on view this summer will inspire and challenge viewers, and sometimes they will just be a great deal of fun.”

“There have always been wonderful examples of partnerships between museums and military installations, but the scale of this gift from the museum communities to military families is thrilling,” said Blue Star Families Chairman Kathy Roth-Douquet. “Military families work hard for this country, and it is gratifying for us to be recognized for that. We anticipate that thousands of military families will participate in the program and visit museums this summer – many of them for the first time. Blue Star Families will work hard to help our military families make the most of these opportunities.”

In addition to being Chairman of Blue Star Families, Ms. Roth-Douquet is married to a Marine Corps officer, who is currently deployed to Afghanistan. They have two children, and Ms. Roth-Douquet and the children plan to take a road trip this summer to visit Blue Star Museums up and down the East Coast.

More than 600 museums in all 50 states and the District of Columbia are taking part in the initiative. In addition to thirty children’s museums across the country, participating museums represent a broad range of art, history, science, and cultural topics.

Blue Star Museums details

The free admission program is available to active duty military and their immediate family members (military ID holder and five immediate family members), which includes active duty Reserve and active duty National Guard. Some special or limited-time museum exhibits may not be included in this free admission program. To find out which museums are participating, visit www.arts.gov/bluestarmuseums.

About Blue Star Families

Blue Star Families is a national, non-partisan, non-profit network of military families from all ranks and services including guard and reserve, with a mission to support, connect and empower military families. In addition to morale and empowerment programs, Blue Star Families raises awareness of the challenges and strengths of military family life with civilian community and leaders. Membership includes spouses, kids, parents, service members, veterans and civilians.

Operation Appreciation is an initiative of Blue Star Families that seeks to connect military families to the larger community. Blue Star Families 2009 annual survey shows that 94 percent of military families feel that the larger community doesn’t truly understand or appreciate the sacrifices we make for the country. Through initiatives such as Blue Star Museums, Blue Star Families provides avenues for the larger community to show that they do understand, in meaningful ways that enrich the lives of military service members, spouses, children and parents.

About the National Endowment for the Arts

The NEA is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts – both new and established – bringing the arts to all Americans, and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Arts Endowment is the largest annual national funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases. For more information, please visit www.arts.gov.

About the Long Island Children’s Museum

Long Island Children’s Museum (LICM) invites visitors of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities to explore freely, discover their passions, and appreciate the communities and world we share. Through interdisciplinary activities, children and adults can share in the excitement of the learning process. The museum is designed for infants through 12 and their grown-ups. LICM is a private, not-for-profit institution chartered by the New York State Board of Regents.

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Long Island Children's Museum
Maureen P. Mangan
516-224-5828
www.licm.org
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