November 1, 2007
Contact: Amanda Box, Communication and Program Coordinator,
Mississippi Forestry Association
601.354.4936, abox@msforestry.net, www.msforestry.net
Mississippi Forestry Association presented a $45,000.00 donation to Dr. John Jordon, executive director of Mississippi Children’s Museum (MCM) October 26, at the MFA Awards Breakfast in Natchez. Dr. Jordon was the keynote speaker at the breakfast which was part of MFA’s three day Annual Meeting, the largest gathering of the forestry community in Mississippi.
Spearheaded by the MFA Communications Committee fund raising efforts for MCM include $20,000.00 directly from MFA and $25,000.00 from Anderson-Tully Company of Vicksburg. Norman Davis, from Anderson-Tully Company was at the breakfast to help present the check. “Anderson-Tully is very excited to be a part of such a great project. Mississippi’s children should not have to go outside the state for this type of interactive learning,” said Davis.
Mississippi Children’s Museum will use Mississippi’s richness and diversity to reach children in a unique way. MCM will focus on the following areas: literacy, health and nutrition, the arts, and the world at work. “If we can get children excited about learning through engaging exhibits and activities, then we can empower and inspire our children to discover their potential through their natural curiosity and creativity,” said Dr. Jordan.
MCM has asked MFA members to be directly involved in the design of the interactive forestry exhibit which is a part of the world at work section of the museum. A great deal of all work in Mississippi is related to forestry with nine percent of the workforce employed in the forest related occupations and an annual economic impact of 13 billion dollars.
MFA Communications Committee Chair Foster Dickard said, “The forestry community sees the exceptional value of educating our children about Mississippi’s forest land. With Mississippi Children’s Museum, we will be able to reach thousands of children and their parents to educate them about sustainable forestry in Mississippi and how to ensure we can meet the needs of the future.”
Other forestry companies are expected to join the fund raising effort as well. Weyerhaeuser Company has already donated $13,000.00. Plum Creek Timber Company, Georgia-Pacific LLC and John Deere are all considering how they can help support this effort.
Arnulfo Zendejas of Plum Creek Timber Company and of the MFA Communications Committee said, “The Mississippi Children’s museum is a dream come true for those of us in the forestry community who want to teach the world how hard we work to ensure that the health of our forestland is constantly improving. I’m convinced there is no better way to educate the public and at the same time attract young people to look at career choices in forestry.”