Celebrating the Fifth Leadership Gift to the Grand Forks Children’s Museum

Every once in a while, a community reaches a moment when generosity doesn’t just move a project forward, it transforms what’s possible. Today, the Grand Forks Children’s Museum is celebrating one of those moments.

With the fifth leadership gift secured toward the anonymous donor’s extraordinary $2 million match, our community has taken another confident step toward building a museum where every child can explore, imagine, and discover. This milestone wasn’t made possible by one family or one organization alone. It was created by many.

This leadership gift represents the combined generosity of remarkable donors whose belief in the museum’s mission is both inspiring and deeply moving. Thank you to:

Heidi & Bob Blair, Bill & Bev Schoen, Edward Carlson, the Myra Foundation, Mary Haslerud Opp & Dean Opp, Alan & Katy Johnson, Wayne & DeAnna Zink, Rachel Gornowicz & the Gornowicz Family Fund, Dean & Vicki Gorder, the Halverson Family Foundation, KodaBank, Matthew & Kelly Ruhland, Bill & Kari Noyes, and Simplot Global Food LLC.

Each of these donors stepped forward with a shared conviction: that the children of our region deserve a place designed for wonder, creativity, and growth. Individually, their gifts are powerful. Together, they become something even greater… a collective act of leadership and generosity that opens doors to possibility.

This fifth leadership gift is more than a milestone. It is a reminder that extraordinary change often begins with many people choosing to give what they can and believing in what their community can become. It shows that when generosity gathers, momentum builds. When momentum builds, doors open. And when doors open, children step into futures filled with confidence, curiosity, and joy.

With five of the eight leadership gifts now secured, the path toward unlocking the full $2 million match is coming into view. Each new gift doubles its impact instantly, bringing the museum closer to becoming a landmark of learning, play, and connection for families across the region.

To every donor who helped make this leadership gift possible: Thank You.

Your generosity is shaping a museum built not just with bricks and beams, but with belief in children, in community, and in the power of coming together.

Grand Forks is proving once again that when many hearts move in the same direction, extraordinary things happen. And together, we will unlock the full match.

Katie Mayer, Executive Director, Grand Forks Children's Museum