Happy 15th Birthday, GRCM!

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - More than two million visitors and countless happy children are celebrating the 15th birthday of the Grand Rapids Children's Museum and you're invited to the party and a Symposium on Play.

The Grand Rapids Children’s Museum are the experts in play. They intend to use that expertise to lead Grand Rapids into becoming a community that embraces the importance of play in our family life, our schools, our neighborhoods and our work. Imagine a community in which children grow up with the skills needed for success, where divisions of misunderstanding are lessened, where creativity and innovation are the norm, and where the collective quality of life is high. Research shows that play can do all this. Join the Gala Birthday Celebration

• March 2nd, 2013
• 6:00pm – Hors d’oeuvres and cocktails
• 7:00pm – Dinner
• 8:00pm – Program, featuring Darell Hammond, Founder and CEO of KaBoom!

Tickets are $200 a person. Corporate sponsorships are available as well.

Celebrating the Way We Play

Play is not only important to the developing minds of children, but in preparing the workforce of tomorrow, building innovation today, and improving our collective quality of life in this community.  Join the GRCM, in collaboration with Grand Valley State University and Aquinas College, for the Symposium on Play and explore the impact play has on the West Michigan community.

March 1, 2013, 8:30am-4:30pm
at the GVSU Eberhard Center

Anyone interested in education, healthcare, business innovation, worker preparedness, criminal justice, economic development and the future of our community is invited to attend.

Presentations will include:

• “Moving to the Essence of Play”, Dr. John Kilbourne, GVSU Professor of Movement Science and Elizabeth Kilbourne, GVSU Movement Science Faculty
• The Role of Play in Business, by Mary Jane Pories, President of Fishladder
• The Role of Play in Education, by Dr. Nkechy Ezeh, Associate Professor of Education and Director of Early Childhood Education Program, Aquinas College.
• Play and Criminal Justice, panel discussion with Chief Belk, Kevin Clark,  and members of the Grand Rapids Police Department
• The Role of Play in Health Care, Dr. James Fahner, Spectrum Health, and Child Life Specialists from Helen DeVos Hospital
• “Incorporating Fun into Business”, Marcie Brogan, Brogan & Partners
• Keynote address from Darell Hammond, President and CEO of KaBOOM!