Published: April 02, 2009 11:25 pm         

TRIBUNE-STAR EDITORIAL: Spirit thrives despite hard times

Children’s Museum gets boost from fundraisers

TERRE HAUTE — What does it say about a community when so many people come together to raise so much money for a great cause — and have so much fun while they’re at it?

It says a lot. And it’s all good.

No one denies these are tough economic times everywhere. Terre Haute and Vigo County have their challenges, as do other communities in America and beyond. But don’t expect local folks to abandon causes they hold dear out of fear of economic unknowns, or even because of hardships affecting them now.

The new Terre Haute Children’s Museum is the latest beneficiary of the community’s generous spirit. In just a three-day period during the past week, more than $65,000 in direct contributions were made to help the Children’s Museum edge closer to its goal of raising $5.2 million for its new facility right downtown. With more than $4.4 million already raised, the goal is well within reach.

The first of the two events responsible for the robust infusion of new funds was Saturday night, when more than 800 people packed the floor of Hulman Center for “100 Men Who Cook.” The event featured 100 local leaders from the public, private and nonprofit sectors who came together to offer samplings from their favorite recipes in a cooking competition.

The sponsors — Old National Bank, Thompson Thrift, Baesler’s Market and Time Warner Media Sales — produced a highly entertaining evening for the large gathering of attendees and were richly rewarded by raising almost $60,000 for the museum.

Then on Monday night, the Young Leaders organization hosted its third annual Dueling Pianos musical fest featuring highly talented members from the cast of Howl at the Moon, a popular downtown Indianapolis nightclub.

The event filled the bottom floor of Terre Haute’s Ohio Building with a raucous, enthusiastic and generous crowd. When the music finally faded, about $5,400 was raised for the museum.

Fresh from the glow of these public contributions, the museum learned that it would receive a $50,000 gift from the family of Dr. and Mrs. Krishna Namburi.

In a few short months, the Children’s Museum will open the doors of its new building to the public. When that day arrives, the vision of its founders and its board will become a spectacular reality.

As the community gets its first inside view of this downtown jewel, everyone should be reminded of the many events such as the 100 Men Who Cook and Dueling Pianos, and the many individuals — such as the Namburis — and organizations both public and private that came together for a prolonged effort to fuel this wonderful cause.

Our compliments and congratulations to the sponsors of these recent, wildly successful fundraisers — and to all the private contributors — that mean so much to our community making itself the best it can be.