GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Prepare for an island-hopping adventure and join the Florida Museum of Natural History for its annual “Passport” gala fundraiser Feb. 19 from 7 to 11 p.m. to support pre-K through 12th grade education programs.

Organized by the Florida Museum Associates Board, “Passport to Caribbean Nights” proceeds will help fund education initiatives including admission assistance for Title I schools, outreach to elementary classrooms and after-school programs, and funding for camp scholarships and the junior volunteer program.

“Children who visit the museum discover the excitement and wonder of science and of the natural world,” said Anne Shermyen, Florida Museum Associates Board vice president. “They also can experience history and learn of our diverse cultural heritage.”

Proceeds from last year’s event were used to bring more than 1,800 Alachua County fourth-grade students to the museum as part of a two-hour free program to visit the “First Colony: Our Spanish Origins” exhibit. The grant from the Florida Museum Associates Board covered all program expenses, including bus transportation, exhibit admission, teacher training and classroom resources.

Designed to support classroom studies, the “First Colony Days” program engaged students in learning about the nation’s first colony of St. Augustine through archaeology, history and the stories of people who lived there. The program met the Grade 4 Florida Standards for social studies and language arts curriculum.

Teacher Noelle Spence-Thomas, whose Littlewood Elementary School class visited the exhibit, said students used the subject material they learned in class to explain what they knew during the tour. They applied their background knowledge and worked together as groups to discover historic pieces.

“Being able to bring our students out of the classroom and into the museum allowed them to actually see and touch artifacts that they may not have an opportunity to explore beyond this trip,” Spence-Thomas said. “The students were incredibly engaged and had so many wonderful questions and answers.”

The fundraiser is called “Passport” because it whisks attendees to another time, era or locale with a new theme each year. Guests this year are encouraged to dress in their favorite island-style costume. Individual tickets for non-reserved seating are $150.

Keith Watson Events and Grandiflora will transform the museum into a tropical paradise while attendees enjoy Caribbean cuisine from Blue Water Bay and dance to the rhythms of Tropix.

For more information, visit www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/passport. Purchase tickets online at www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/passport/purchase-tickets or contact Brittany Snipes, bsnipes@flmnh.ufl.edu or 352-273-2086. To become a sponsor, contact Kara Schwartz, kschwartz@flmnh.ufl.edu or 352-273-2047.

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Writer: Maria Espinoza, PRintern@flmnh.ufl.edu
Source: Kara Schwartz, kschwartz@flmnh.ufl.edu
Media contact: Paul Ramey, 352-273-2054, pramey@flmnh.ufl.edu