Program areas at Thanksgiving Point Institute
Thanksgiving Point Institute is a 170-acre museum, garden and farm complex founded as a gift to Utah and the surrounding communities. Our mission is to bring the joy of learning and the wonders of the natural world to life. In our experience, when curiosity, discovery and sharing begin, we are more likely to be inspired, optimistic and energized. Therefore, whether it's bugs or butterflies, tulips or tyranasouri, the natural world experiences we bring to our community are unique and life changing. In the 2021-22 tax year, we experienced over 2.2 million guest visits. Most guests came to visit one of our museums or garden events and tens of thousands came as part of our educational and cultural events. For example, the tulip festival held in ashton gardens is a favorite of the community. A large percentage of the 300,000 tulip bulbs are planted by volunteers. In total, volunteers worked 1,865 hours to help make the tulip festival a success. Last year, 799 volunteers gave 17,109 hours to various community-oriented efforts at Thanksgiving Point. Much of the supporting revenue of Thanksgiving Point is generated through our five primary venues: ashton gardens, museum of ancient life, the museum of natural curiosity, the butterfly biosphere, and farm country. Within each of these venues we employ aspiring educators who learn on-the- job how to facilitate learning and guide guests in the exploration of natural world science. We also utilize experienced volunteers who are skilled at helping guests discover the wonders of nature. Integral to the Thanksgiving Point mission are the interactive learning experiences organized to aid children in their learning of science. Last year, over 17,750 3rd and 8th grade students were part of free science and engineering programs offered by Thanksgiving Point. Thanksgiving Point typically hosts approximately 1,623 field trips and outreach classes. Thanksgiving Point teams also travel to schools throughout Utah to conduct these hands-on learning experiences. When covid-19 restrictions came about, we pivoted to hosting virtual classes as well. Last year, 650 k-12 public school teachers received free teacher professional development on-site and online through Thanksgiving Point Institute. In addition, over 859 home school students attended homeschool days at Thanksgiving Point. My tech high serves homeschool students as well, providing collaborative setting where students learn to explore tech-oriented solutions and to develop their own design ideas. In summer months, Thanksgiving Point hosts approximately 156 summer camps. These camps welcome children of all ages and backgrounds and are focused on a variety of learning experiences from discovering dinosaurs to creating unique art to experimenting with stem. These camps include autism adventures camp. This day camp welcome autistic children ages 13 to 18. The camp helps students through seven stages of adventure to expand their current social understanding and aptitude. Essential to our mission is diversity and inclusion. Guests of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities are welcomed. We have sensory backpacks for children on the autism spectrum at the museum of natural curiosity, museum of ancient life, and the butterfly biosphere. Super tuesdays in august allow guests to enjoy all venues at discounted rates and participation in the national museums for all program allows children with families on supplemental nutrition assistance program (snap) or special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children (wic) card to gain year-round free entrance to venues. Thanksgiving Point also partners with a variety of community organizations. One example is the south franklin community center based in provo, Utah. This center serves children attending title i schools. Approximately 83% of the students here are economically disadvantaged and 63% come from under- represented groups. Thanksgiving Point provides venue tickets throughout the year to south franklin to aid in their learning and life.
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