Released
03/18/2021
The U.S. Space & Rocket Center will hold a news conference today at 10 a.m. to announce a $250,000 donation to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center Education Foundation’s endowment fund and the establishment of the Space Camp Explorers Club donation campaign. The news conference will take place in the Davidson Center for Space Exploration.
The late Keith Schonrock and Betty Schonrock established a charitable remainder trust that left the $250,000 to the Rocket Center foundation as well as similar donations to the University of Alabama in Huntsville hockey program, St. Thomas Episcopal Church and the Alzheimer’s Association.
The announcement takes place as the Rocket Center’s 51st birthday and a year after the center closed its doors to the public in response to the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The closure of the museum and Space Camp resulted in severe financial losses partially offset by a successful Save Space Camp campaign that began in July 2020. Donations from almost 9,000 donors from all 50 states and 40 countries raised enough to keep the Rocket Center from closing and allows for the return of Space Camp this coming May.
This club of sustaining donors builds on the Save Space Camp campaign by creating a way to make monthly gifts of $10, $25 or $50. In return, those donors will receive access to content and incentives that include behind-the scenes videos, podcasts and INTUITIVE® planetarium experiences.
This source of unrestricted funding, along with a growing endowment, will help ensure the Rocket Center can continue world-class educational programs today and in the future.
To learn more or to donate, visit rocketcenterfoundation.org.