Canadian Air & Space Museum -- Good Cause

[gordonbw]

I saw this on the "other board"... the Canadian Air & Space Museum has started a crowdfunding program to bring their exhibits in from the cold while a new location is developed.  The fundraising website is here...http://www.indiegogo.com/casmuseum.  I wish them all the best on their long-term strategy and on this fundrasing campaign!

[Papa]

Hi Gordon, one of the originals in TEMAC, Keith McClaren has been a member of the Museum for years and he sent me some information. This will add to your post.

Jack.

Thank you to our fundraising contributors
Museum receives celebrity endorsements

Dear Museum supporter,

It has been three weeks since the launch of our new fundraising campaign and we would like to extend our appreciation to all those who have contributed. At this time we sit at more than $13,000 towards our $500,000 goal.   
   
We still have a long way to go to enable us to preserve our Collection and move towards re-building, but our members have kicked us off well, and we will be looking to expand our network to raise more funds.

The Museum is thrilled to have video endorsements from three celebrities, giving us a little "star" power:
1)    Hollywood actor, pilot and de Havilland Beaver owner Harrison Ford
2)    Canadian actress Amanda Tapping from the TV series' Stargate and Sanctuary
3)    Canadian actress and pilot Michelle Goodeve, "Ms. Avery" of TV's Degrassi Junior High
These videos and more, can be seen on our fundraising page.

As a reminder, our fundraising page can be found at http://www.indiegogo.com/casmuseum. All donations, beginning at $5, receive something in return, from admission to our future museum, to bumper stickers, books, models, DVDs, and more.

Donors are required to register with the IndieGoGo site in order to donate, but please be assured that the site is safe and secure.

The Museum's Important Role

Since its inception, the Canadian Air & Space Museum (previously Toronto Aerospace Museum) has educated hundreds of thousands of people about Canada's many air and space innovations and achievements. 

We have also played an important role inspiring young people attending the 2,000 schools in the Greater Toronto Area to pursue studies in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as a stepping stone to exciting careers in the aviation or aerospace industry.

In the meantime...the Collection

The Museum's Collection continues to sit inside 44, 40-foot freight containers in a Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) parking lot. The GTAA is offering us the land for free, but we continue to be charged monthly rent on the containers. And now, we must raise the funds to transfer the Collection into proper indoor environmental conditions before winter sets in.

The Avro Arrow and Lancaster Bomber are the only two items remaining in our building at Downsview Park. We have not found adequate storage space for them, and are now looking to build a temporary hangar to house them. Again, the GTAA is offering complimentary property for the hangar, but we must pay for its construction.

This is our immediate goal, to ensure the future of the Museum's priceless and precious Collection.

In the meantime....discussions with the GTAA

Discussions continue with the GTAA to relocate the Canadian Air & Space Museum to Lester B. Pearson International Airport. These talks are highly confidential, and as dictated by our agreement, only minimal details can be revealed at this time.

What we can reveal is that possible new locations include both an existing building which would require much refurbishment, or an empty lot which would require new construction. Either choice would give the Museum an outstanding location on the south end of Pearson airport.

The GTAA has also offered the Museum office space, once we get to that stage.

Our current fundraising goal is only Phase 1, primarily focused on preserving our existing Collection, inconsequential to a new location.

Social Media Networking

Please help us spread the word to family, friends and colleagues about our fundraising campaign.

For members who participate on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social networks, you can:
1)    Post the link to our new fundraising page on your personal pages (http://www.indiegogo.com/casmuseum?c=home)
2)    Watch, share and ‘like’ our video on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O72H8nh0qBc&feature=context-cha

3)    Share the Museum's web site address, which has a link to the fundraising page on its Home Page http://casmuseum.org/home.php

Mailing donations

For members who wish to donate but do not have Internet access, you can mail a cheque made out to "The Canadian Air & Space Museum" to:

Canadian Air & Space Museum
65 Carl Hall Road, Box 1
Toronto, Ontario
M3K 2E1   

Thank You

Thank you again to members who have contributed so far to saving the Museum. Without a source of revenue since September 2011, it has been a challenging year and will continue to be so.

Our hope is that our members, Torontonians and Canadians will recognize the value and significance of maintaining an aviation and aerospace museum in Toronto -- not only the country's biggest city, but the birthplace of so many incredible achievements. 

There are so many people who want to see the Museum survive. And the Board of Directors is working tirelessly behind the scenes to make that possible.

We thank you for your patience and apologize for making some members feel they were not receiving enough information. When there is new information we are able to share, we will certainly do so.

A NEW Canadian Air & Space Museum is our goal. We have a lot of work to do to get there, but we are determined...and we believe it is possible.

Board of Directors
Canadian Air & Space Museum