RELEASE DATE: December 6, 2022

CONTACTS:
Anne Mancour, Marketing Manager
Office: 810-237-3443
Email: AMancour@SloanLongway.org

JD Winegarden, President of Flint Classroom Support Fund
Cellphone: (810) 235-8555



Event Date: Monday, December 12, 2022
Time: 8 a.m.
Location: Exterior entrance of Flint Institute of Arts, 1120 E. Kearsley Street, Flint, MI 

Description: Sloan Museum of Discovery and Longway Planetarium, in partnership with other Flint Cultural Center institutions and The Flint Classroom Support Fund, have teamed up to provide Flint school teachers with free memberships. The vouchers for memberships to Sloan and Longway will be given away to Flint school principals on Monday, December 12, 2022, 8 a.m., in front of the Flint Institute of Arts. $13,000 in Holiday Mini-Grants from the Flint Classroom Support Fund and additional memberships from the Flint Institute of Music and the Flint Institute of Art will also be awarded.

While the Sloan Museum is already free to Genesee County Residents due to the Arts and Education Millage that voters passed in 2018, the Planetarium has a discounted admission fee. The memberships not only provide Flint teachers free admission to both institutions, they also get free passes for guests and discounts on purchases at both gift shops, Coffee Beanery Cafe, event venue bookings, special exhibits, and more. The 250 Sloan and Longway memberships are valued at $16,000.

JD Winegarden, President of the Flint Classroom Support Fund, said this is the third year they have provided teachers with resources for special projects. “We are delighted to work with the new Sloan Museum and Longway Planetarium. These are great institutions within the Flint Cultural Center that are already enhancing the education of children. These free memberships will allow Flint schoolteachers to continue feeding their own natural instincts for curiosity and learning,” Winegarden commented.

Sloan and Longway offer around 45 educational programs each week to schools, libraries, and within their two buildings, serving approximately 65,000 schoolchildren per year for STEM, social studies and history education.

About Sloan Museum of Discovery and Longway Planetarium
Sloan Museum of Discovery and Longway Planetarium are overseen by the non-profit Flint Institute of Science and History with a shared mission to engage communities on a learning journey in history and science. Located within the Flint Cultural Center campus in Flint, Michigan, Sloan Museum of Discovery opened July 16, 2022, with four primary hands-on learning galleries and one exhibition hall for special traveling exhibits. Learn more at SloanMuseum.org.

Longway Planetarium is Michigan’s largest and most technologically-advanced planetarium. With 129 reclining seats, the dome spans 88 feet in diameter and 52 feet high. The projection system was upgraded in 2021 to Digistar 7. A new LED cove lighting system was also installed for special effects. A 7.1 surround sound system ensures the audio quality of the show matches the visuals. Learn more at Longway.org

Both Sloan and Longway are supported in part by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and Michigan Arts and Culture Council (MACC). Educational programs are funded in part by the Genesee County Arts Education and Cultural Enrichment Millage. Learn more at www.SloanLongway.org.

About Flint Classroom Support Fund’s Holiday Mini-Gifts
https://flintclassroomsupportfund.org/our-mission
https://www.flintside.com/inthenews/flint-teachers-receive-resources.aspx