Toyota Indiana is donating $300,000 to a children’s museum in Princeton, to help them reach more kids with a mobile unit.
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana held a large event on Thursday in Princeton, Indiana to announce the release of their first new 2024 Lexus, which is the first Lexus to be made in the state. At the same event, they announced a large contribution to help local children.
“In honor of this milestone event, I am proud to announce that Toyota Indiana is joining the Koch Family Children’s Museum of Evansville’s “Play It Forward” campaign with a donation of $300,000 to create cMoe to Go,” TMMI President Leah Curry announced during the event.
“cMoe to Go” is going to be a mobile museum with interactive exhibits combining science, technology, engineering, math, and art. It’s meant to spark interest in children to attend museums in general, giving them access to more interactive educational opportunities. The campaign to fund it has a goal of $6.5 million, and will also expand the Children’s Museum with rooftop exhibits, a theater, a water play area, and more.
As of this summer, the museum was still seeking ideas and proposals for installations for both cMoe to Go and their site proper, looking for exhibits to appeal to children ranging from toddlers to teenagers. The mobile museum’s exhibits will skew young, as things for younger children are often more portable.
Mobile museums have been popular since the pandemic, as a way to bring some of the features of children’s museums to the public, usually to schools and child care centers. They can also often be rented for parties and family events, or show up at street fairs and similar. The donation from Toyota Indiana will go a long way towards making this one a reality.