AMM Establishes Flood Relief Fund to Assist Midwest Museums

 

The Association of Midwest Museums (AMM) has established a Flood Relief Fund to assist museums in the Midwest affected by the damaging floods.  You can help by making a tax-deductible donation to the Association of Midwest Museums – Flood Relief Fund.  It appears the most significant damage to museums has occurred in Iowa, particularly those located in communities in the path of the Cedar River flooding, most notably Cedar Falls, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, and Iowa City.   Initially, we intend to target donations to help affected museums in Iowa; however, several state, regional and national organizations are working together to assess the damages to museums in other states, including Wisconsin, Illinois, and Missouri.

 

Museums and relief organizations are still trying to assess the damage, but it is clear that the extent of the damages is significant in various parts of the Midwest.  While affected museums are struggling to salvage their collections and archives, they must also contend with a disruption of operating revenue due to closure.  These museums will need assistance to help with the clean up, conservation of their collections, and administrative support.

 

The AMM Flood Relief Fund is being launched with $1,000 donated by individual members of the AMM Board of Directors. Additional support from the museum community is needed and encouraged! AMM will coordinate with the American Association of Museums and other national organizations to publicize this initiative and help raise funds.

 

AMM will work with the Iowa Museum Association to distribute funds where the need is greatest for affected museums in the state of Iowa.  AMM will also work with other state museum associations in the region, such as the Wisconsin Federation of Museums and Illinois Association of Museums to identify museums impacted by the flood that are in need of assistance and target funds where the need is greatest. 

 

If you would like to contribute to the AMM Flood Relief Fund, please send a check (made payable to AMM) by August 31, 2008 to: AMM, PO Box 11950, St. Louis, MO  63112 or visit the AMM web site at http://www.midwestmuseums.org.  If you have any questions, contact Brian Bray, AMM Executive Director, at 314-746-4557.