Representatives from the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation surprised the Coachella Valley History Museum with a $10,000 check. The grant is an offshoot of a partnership between the Berger Foundation and CBS Local 2, where each month, a local nonprofit receives a $25,000 grant. But this grant was unknown and unannounced. “We had no idea,” said Patricia Korzec, Executive Director of the Coachella Valley History Museum. “This grant will do so much for our educational programs!”
Korzec was one of 59 people who received word last December that her 52-year-old organization was not one of the 12 selected as a 2017 Coachella Valley Spotlight grant, for which she had applied. The Coachella Valley History Museum was founded to present, share, and interpret the rich history of the Coachella Valley. The organization operates with the help of about 100 volunteers who help as docents at the museum, with events, and as educators in the Junior Historians and art programs.
“Selecting only 12 nonprofits for the Coachella Valley Spotlight each year is a difficult decision,” said Christopher McGuire, Vice President of Programs for the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation. “Presenting these additional surprise grants is a fun way for our partnership with CBS Local 2 to affect even more people in our community.”
The Coachella Valley History Museum plans to use the grant funds to improve its Junior Historian program and after school art programs. Organizers say they will purchase electronic tablets, tables, chairs and art supplies, which will help further develop the programs and attract more students.
“The Coachella Valley History Museum is offering fun and creative ways for our area’s young people to learn more about their heritage and the community they live in,” said Catharine Reed, Program Director of the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation. “We are happy to support their efforts, and doing it with a surprise grant is even more exciting!”
“CBS Local 2 is proud to partner with the Berger Foundation in this surprise grant presentation,” said Mike Stutz, General Manager of Gulf California Broadcast Company, which owns and operates CBS Local 2. “Many of our viewers were able to be a part of the surprise as we streamed the entire unexpected grant presentation live on our Facebook page.”
For more information about the Coachella Valley Spotlight grant or to apply to receive one in 2018, go to cbslocal2.com, and click on the Coachella Valley Spotlight logo near the bottom of the home page. To learn more about the Coachella Valley History Museum visit www.cvhm.org or call 760-342-6651.