To our Museum Supporters, Volunteers and Fellow Citizens:
2020 marked the 50th Anniversary of the Canton Historical Museum and we need your help.
During these difficult times by which we have all been touched, the Canton Historical Museum has not been spared. We were looking forward to a number of planned events to celebrate our anniversary, but all had to be canceled with the exception our annual Gallery of Trees holiday event. It is unmanageable for us to maintain our operating budget over an anticipated loss position. Membership is down due to the pandemic and we have experienced little income through 2020 and the first months of 2021 without an endowment to fall back upon. We potentially will not have any of the significant fundraisers that we have relied upon to sustain us in the past. With this reality, the Museum faces a difficult future.
One of the main tourist attractions in downtown Collinsville, our not-for-profit Museum is an important presence in the local economy. It is also crucial to the preservation of Canton’s history. Each year, museum volunteers offer tours, educational programing and research materials for people from all over. The museum contains a collection of over 7500 artifacts and research documents including Collins tools, local Native American artifacts, and agricultural items to name a few. As an important presence in the local economy, our museum is an attraction that brings visitors from both the United States and international locations.
Since our opening, countless volunteers have dedicated their time to ensure that the museum fulfills its mission to “Connect Canton’s past to inspire an informed future for all.” We are determined to continue to fulfill that mission, but we can’t do it without you.
We’ve launched a fundraiser on GoFundMe, an online crowdfunding platform that allows organizations like ours to raise money during challenging circumstances like the current pandemic. Our goal is to reach $50,000 to sustain us through the uncertainties that lie ahead for 2021.
Or you can help us while you shop! Shop at smile.amazon.com and Amazon will donate to our organization, at no cost to you. Click on the button below to go to the Canton Historical Museum Smile Amazon page. You will see “Supporting the Canton Historical Society” near the top of your page when you shop.
Thank you for your past support and consideration of other ways you can help the museum.
Don Scott, President