By 1808Delaware, Hayes Presidential Library & Museums
1808Delaware carries news from the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums in Fremont from time to time, a venue which provides an in-depth look into the life and times US President and Delaware native Rutherford B. Hayes.
Today, we bring news of the Center’s Gateway to the Future Campaign, which seeks funding to improve and enhance virtual experiences and distance learning opportunities.
From the Center:
Last spring, when the Hayes Home and museum normally would have been filled with students on field trips learning about President Rutherford and First Lady Lucy Hayes and Ohio history, the galleries and rooms were dark and empty.
Families, presidential site enthusiasts, history buffs and other visitors, who normally would come to the museums’ latest exhibits, tour the home and see the grounds, stayed home.
Busloads of group tours and vacationers who normally visit the home or museum and pick up gifts and souvenirs canceled their trips.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums shut down from March 13 through June 23. It reopened for three days a week compared to its normal daily operations, which is expected to continue into 2021. Fall and winter field trips have been canceled.
The pandemic has caused an immense loss of revenue for Hayes Presidential, and staff have adjusted by cutting costs in numerous areas. Meanwhile, the staff continued to innovate and find ways to bring Hayes Presidential and its mission to people at home.
They put together virtual experiences for people of all ages, including a virtual museum tour for school kids, a virtual tour of the Hayes Home, a scavenger hunt in a 3-D scan of the museum, a campaign ribbon lesson and activity. These and many other online offerings allowed people to enjoy and learn from Hayes Presidential while staying at home.
This year, a donation to Hayes Presidential’s Gateway to the Future campaign will help staff continue creating distance-learning and virtual experiences and help reduce the budget deficit.
Earlier this year, the deficit was projected to be $280,000. That number is expected to be reduced to a loss of $110,000, thanks to donations received, grants and cuts the staff have made.
Gateway to the Future will fund additional virtual education programs; care of Spiegel Grove, an official arboretum and the 25-acre estate of Rutherford and Lucy Hayes, as well as its 1,700 trees; and the purchase of additional manuscripts, books and research materials.
“We are so very grateful for the financial gifts we have received from members and supporters during the past months,” said Sue Berryman, Hayes Presidential director of development. “As we move forward to create new digital educational programs, your donation today will make those programs possible.”
To make a donation to Gateway to the Future, visit https://www.rbhayes.org/clientuploads/pdfs/Gateway_20-21_Dear_Friend.pdf.
