MORRIS TWP. – A donor who asked to remain anonymous has given $20,000 to the Museum of Makers + Innovators (MOMI) to build New Jersey’s first “thinkscape” community park.
MOMI is a nonprofit which plans to build the park in the under-construction Morris Marketplace shopping center at the corner of East Hanover Avenue and Martin Luther King Avenue in Morris Township, adjacent to the Hanover Township border.
So far, MOMI has raised $57,000 from a combination of sponsorships, donations and crowdfunding, and the organization has a fundraising goal of $100,000.
“We are beyond surprised and feel enormous gratitude for this generous gift,” said MOMI Board of Trustees President Sara Sorenson, a Basking Ridge resident. “This gift is significant to our fundraising efforts for the Morris Marketplace THINKSCAPE and helps us get closer to our $100,000 fundraising goal.”
Although the donor would like to remain anonymous, the donor provided a statement on the gift.
“What inspired us about MOMI was the mission to build a community focusing on children and giving them a safe space to focus on just being themselves and using their imagination,” the statement said. “We are so excited about THINKSCAPE and were eager to support it as it aligns with our foundation’s core values of education and community. We look forward to great things that MOMI will do for our community.”
Sorenson said MOMI is beyond thrilled to partner with the donor on the park and hopes the park inspires others to get involved with MOMI to create more innovative, inclusive and equitable opportunities for learning outside the classroom.