Volunteer Spotlight: John Sutton! John is an exhibit volunteer at the Kansas Children's Discovery Center who helps with general facility needs and unpacking, assembly, and preparation of traveling exhibits. John has been a volunteer for two years and his favorite thing about volunteering is seeing kids get to play with an exhibit he's built. Thank you, John! Learn more about a typical day as a volunteer for John in the video below.
The Discovery Center needs exhibit volunteers to help with the unpacking, assembly, and preparation of traveling exhibits in 2024. Exhibit volunteers help unpack trucks with exhibit components, assemble components with guidance from staff, provide paint and touch-ups to exhibits, and repack them at the end of the exhibit run!
Exhibit assembly is a fun and interesting way to make a difference for local children and get a sneak peek at upcoming exhibits. Volunteers are needed on an ongoing basis but particularly for an upcoming exhibit install:
The Kansas Children's Discovery Center hosted a great group of volunteers recently from the Evergy Green Team! This hard-working group of volunteers worked alongside the museum exhibits team to build the new Curious George: Let's Get Curious traveling exhibit.
Evergy is a long-term supporter of the museum who has made countless large and small projects possible. Evergy provided considerable funding and Green Team volunteers for a project to make the Discovery Center’s pond and stream more interactive and safe, helped oversee multiple prescribed burns of the Discovery Center’s prairie restoration habitat, tended to trees, built the Tree House and sand areas, and funded museum access programs.
The Green Team itself is a group of employees and retiree volunteers that has taken on environmental projects across Kansas and Missouri since 1989. The team completes 50 to 70 projects per year, mostly on weekends and evenings, according to its website. The Green Team collaborates with conservation groups, agencies and schools in enhancing and fostering an understanding of the Kansas and Missouri environment, as well as improving natural habitats and helping provide access to important environmental areas.
Kansas Children’s Discovery Center offers high-quality, interactive experiences to inspire a lifelong love of learning for every child. Volunteers support our mission by creating these memorable experiences for every family who walks through our doors. Volunteers engage children in fun educational activities, pitch in at special events, maintain our outdoor space, and keep exhibit areas ready for play.
If your organization is interested in a fun volunteer day at the Kansas Children's Discovery Center, call our volunteer coordinator at (785) 783-8300. We have indoor and outdoor projects for any size group. Thank You, Evergy Green Team!
The Kansas Children's Discovery Center recently hosted a great groups of volunteers this summer from US Bank! These hard-working volunteers brought family and friends along to work on indoor and outdoor spaces at the museum, including the tallgrass prairie and 4.5 acre Certified Outdoor Exploration Classroom, critical parts of our educational programs.
US Bank has been a long-term partner and supporter of the museum, sponsoring financial literacy components in the Mobile Museum to encourage children to consider needs and wants and learn about saving and spending. Volunteers from the organization helped facilitate the activities at community sites throughout 2022.
Kansas Children’s Discovery Center offers high-quality, interactive experiences to inspire a lifelong love of learning for every child. Volunteers support our mission by creating these memorable experiences for every family who walks through our doors. Volunteers engage children in fun educational activities, pitch in at special events, maintain our outdoor space, and keep exhibit areas ready for play.
If your organization is interested in a fun volunteer day at the Kansas Children's Discovery Center, call our volunteer coordinator at (785) 783-8300. We have indoor and outdoor projects for any size group. Thank You, US Bank Volunteers!
The Kansas Children's Discovery Center hosted a great group of volunteers from Mize CPAs! This hard-working group of volunteers helped clean, paint, and assemble the new Curious George: Let's Get Curious traveling exhibit!
Mize CPAs are long-term supporters of the museum who have generously supported multiple special exhibits. Their support helps make Topeka a better place to work, live and play!
Kansas Children’s Discovery Center offers high-quality, interactive experiences to inspire a lifelong love of learning for every child. Volunteers support our mission by creating these memorable experiences for every family who walks through our doors. Volunteers engage children in fun educational activities, pitch in at special events, maintain our outdoor space, and keep exhibit areas ready for play.
If your organization is interested in a fun volunteer day at the Kansas Children's Discovery Center, call our volunteer coordinator at (785) 783-8300. We have indoor and outdoor projects for any size group.
Thank You, Mize CPAs!
The Kansas Children's Discovery Center hosted a great group of volunteers last week from Advisors Excel! This hard-working group of volunteers helped prep walls and paint to get our exhibit space ready for the Curious George: Let's Get Curious traveling exhibit.
This project was one of many ways Advisors Excel supports the Discovery Center. The organization has also sponsored more than 20 free admission events at the museum since 2019. Advisors Excel has sponsored admission for nearly 5,000 people during those events, which included free outdoor discovery days in 2020 when the inside of the museum was closed. The organization has also supported field trips, mobile museum events, and other educational experiences for local children.
Kansas Children’s Discovery Center offers high-quality, interactive experiences to inspire a lifelong love of learning for every child. Volunteers support our mission by creating these memorable experiences for every family who walks through our doors. Volunteers engage children in fun educational activities, pitch in at special events, maintain our outdoor space, and keep exhibit areas ready for play.
If your organization is interested in a fun volunteer day at the Kansas Children's Discovery Center, call our volunteer coordinator at (785) 783-8300. We have indoor and outdoor projects for any size group. Thank You, Advisors Excel Volunteers!
The Kansas Children's Discovery Center has hosted great groups of volunteers this summer from Boy Scouts of America Troop 175! This community-oriented troop has worked to maintain outdoor spaces.
The scouts and leaders have worked together to maintain pollinator and vegetable gardens and surrounding areas. The 4.5 acres of Certified Outdoor Exploration Classroom, is a critical part of our outdoor education initiatives and is full or projects to keep these conservation-minded scouts busy.
Kansas Children’s Discovery Center offers high-quality, interactive experiences to inspire a lifelong love of learning for every child. Volunteers support our mission by creating these memorable experiences for every family who walks through our doors. Volunteers engage children in fun educational activities, pitch in at special events, maintain our outdoor space, and keep exhibit areas ready for play.
If your organization is interested in a fun volunteer day at the Kansas Children's Discovery Center, call our volunteer coordinator at (785) 783-8300. We have indoor and outdoor projects for any size group.
Thank You, BSA Troop 175!
The Kansas Children's Discovery Center hosted a great group of volunteers this week from Fairlawn Nazarene Church. The church regularly helps out the museum during the summer months. More than 13 volunteers showed up with tools, ready to clear trails on a very hot night and complete indoor painting projects!
Fairlawn Nazarene Church volunteers trimmed overgrowth, cleared trails, weeded, hauled brush, painted exhibit spaces, and more. With 4.5 acres of Certified Outdoor Exploration Classroom, the volunteers stayed busy!
Kansas Children’s Discovery Center offers high-quality, interactive experiences to inspire a lifelong love of learning for every child. Volunteers support our mission by creating these memorable experiences for every family who walks through our doors. Volunteers engage children in fun educational activities, pitch in at special events, maintain our outdoor space, and keep exhibit areas ready for play.
If your organization is interested in a fun volunteer day at the Kansas Children's Discovery Center, call our volunteer coordinator at (785) 783-8300. We have indoor and outdoor projects for any size group.
Thank You, Fairlawn Nazarene Church!
Volunteer Spotlight: Zane Rentfro! Zane is an incoming sophomore at Washburn Rural High School who has volunteered at the Discovery Center since August of 2022, but he's been here before! Zane first came to the museum as a kid to play (that's him in the pond!)
Now, he supports other kids at play as a guest experience volunteer and says he loves everything about volunteering, especially working with families in the art pavilion. He's always fun to be around and both visitors and coworkers love seeing him walk in the door. His favorite memory of volunteering was Noon Year's Eve, when he was able to watch his 5-year-old cousin enjoy the balloon drop. Thank you, Zane!
Kansas Children’s Discovery Center offers high-quality, interactive experiences to inspire a lifelong love of learning for every child. Volunteers support our mission by creating these memorable experiences for every family who walks through our doors. Volunteers engage children in fun educational activities, pitch in at special events, maintain our outdoor space, and keep exhibit areas ready for play. If you are interested in volunteering or setting up a group volunteer day at the Kansas Children's Discovery Center, call our volunteer coordinator at (785) 783-8300 or complete an online application.
The Kansas Children's Discovery Center hosted a great group of volunteers last week from Advisors Excel! This hard-working group of volunteers went to work on our outdoor classroom, pruning trees and mulching to get the museum ready for summer play!
This project was one of many ways Advisors Excel supports the Discovery Center. The organization has also sponsored more than 20 free admission events at the museum since 2019. Advisors Excel has sponsored admission for nearly 5,000 people during those events, which included free outdoor discovery days in 2020 when the inside of the museum was closed. The organization has also supported field trips, mobile museum events, and other educational experiences for local children.
Kansas Children’s Discovery Center offers high-quality, interactive experiences to inspire a lifelong love of learning for every child. Volunteers support our mission by creating these memorable experiences for every family who walks through our doors. Volunteers engage children in fun educational activities, pitch in at special events, maintain our outdoor space, and keep exhibit areas ready for play.
If your organization is interested in a fun volunteer day at the Kansas Children's Discovery Center, call our volunteer coordinator at (785) 783-8300. We have indoor and outdoor projects for any size group.
Thank You, Advisors Excel Volunteers!