Celebrating 20 Years
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THE JOURNEY MUSEUM & LEARNING CENTER 2016 ANNUAL REPORT CELEBRATING 20 YEARS A Vision Realized The Journey Celebrates It began in 1984 as an idea to create a place that would forever hold our community’s proud past and celebrate its unique heritage and culture. The dreaming started to become more formalized as the idea of a “Spirit of the Black Hills” Museum evolved from a City Cultural Steering Committee in 1991. From that point, the idea started to build steam and became revisioned as “The Journey Museum”. Bolstered by a newly established Vision Fund, The Journey Museum started to come to life. As ground was broken, the new Museum Alliance of Rapid City began to find its way to operational destiny. Perhaps, almost in poetic justice of the tough stories The Journey told of human fortitude when no common man or woman would stay and preserve, it struggled. The Journey struggled to find acceptance, to find its name, to define its moments. Still men and women persisted to preserve our past in the face of public scrutiny. The Journey Museum continued, and struggled to survive in the face of long odds to become The Journey Museum and Learning Center. Today, though, we reach a moment in time where we celebrate the path blazed before us and look to the skies in thanks for reaching this day. Today, we celebrate 20 years; celebrate covering all of our fixed costs and becoming operationally sound. Today, we know we serve our community at a level not reached in the past. Troy Kilpatrick, Executive Director Today, we are challenged to communicate why The Journey Museum and Learning Center is so important. Many of you reading this already know, better than myself, how irreplaceable our history can become. Like baseball cards thrown away by Mom, or a house torn from its foundation -- once it is gone, it is gone -- and those memories will surely fade and become impossible to pass along to the generations that follow. Can you help me communicate to our community how incredibly important it is to understand we are who we are today, thanks to where we have been? We at The Journey Museum and Learning Center need your support, as some wish to understand us through a business-oriented profit and loss statement. A profit and loss statement would not calculate the intrinsic value of our past. Here at The Journey Museum and Learning Center, we also believe that we are part of the future as we create new knowledge and teach the next generation to be inquisitive, to understand diversity, and to embrace our entire community. We believe we serve a very important role as a conversation and gathering place for community members. If you have not visited recently, please do so; we have a lot to offer to the community and we know there is more opportunity to do so as the future comes. As we move forward, it is always important to know one thing: The Journey will only continue through all of you! Troy Kilpatrick, Executive Director OUR MISSION Preserve, educate and explore the heritage, cultures and environment of the Black Hills region to understand our past, enrich our present and sustain our future. OUR VISION • Inspire all audiences to learn and play in a vibrant and dynamic atmosphere; • Create wonder and curiosity through exhibits and programs that lead to life-long learning; • Reveal cultural, historical, and scientific connections to foster new knowledge, appreciation and understanding in our community and its visitors. 2 Reflecting on Our Accomplishments Dear Partners and Friends, It is an honor to serve this year as Board Chairperson for The Journey Museum & Learning Center. Since joining the Board in 2014, I have seen The Journey staff under the leadership of Troy Kilpatrick accomplish many great things in this past year, including: • The Journey Museum was transformed to be both a museum and learning center, incorporating a new name, “The Journey Museum & Learning Center” and filled with fantastic new programs such as Turtle Soup and Learning Forums • The Journey Museum & Learning Center was rated as a top tourist destination by Yahoo! Style, Courier Magazine, Tripadvisor, and Orbitz • Overall attendance increased by 9% • Tour buses visiting the museum grew by 39% • Income grew by 4.5% • Costs were reduced by $36,969 or 5.2% Jim Green, Board Chairperson • Overall financials improved from ($48,356) in 2015 to $11,846 in the black for 2016 The Journey Museum & Learning Center is, indeed, “A Vision Realized”! However, the journey has just begun... Name: Jim Green Education: South Dakota School of Mines & Technology - Mechanical Engineering; Carnegie Melon - Program for Executive; South Dakota School of Mines & Technology - Honorary Doctorate Professional: Began & finished career at Caterpillar & retired as General Manager of Program Management & Conformance. Community: Board member for South Dakota School of Mines & Technology Foundation; University Advisory Board for South Dakota School of Mines & Technology; Vice Chairman of Canyon Springs Preserve Water District Fun Fact: First nine years of formal education (K-8) was in a country school in Western Nebraska Jim Green, Board Chairperson 3 Board of Directors Name: Jr Bettelyoun Name: Tim Raben Professional: Former Principal & Teacher at Todd County School Education: Master of Arts in the Liberal Arts District; Assistant Professor at BHSU; Assistant Principal Professional: Executive for The Hartford Insurance Group; RCAS Academy program; Current Director of Indian Business Consultant; Tour Guide for the Black Hills & Education for RCAS District Rocky Mountains Community: Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe enrolled member Community: RC Downtown Lions Club; Black Hills Runners Club; Starting Strong; Mt Rushmore Society; Civic Center Resolution Task Force Fun Fact: Visited all 50 states & 12 of 16 Presidential Libraries Name: Ruth Brennan Name: Megan Reder-Schopp Education: University of South Dakota Education: BHSU - Political Science; SDSU - Masters in Professional: Rapid City Journal 1968-1983 & 2003-2013; Rapid Counseling; Doctorate (in progress) City Arts Council Executive Director 1974-1998; Arts Professional: Director of Counseling & Disability Services at Consultant 1999-2014 SDSM&T Community: Past/present boards - YMCA, RC Arts Council, RC Community: Boards - Gwendolyn Stearns Foundation, TEDx Library Foundation, SD Arts Council, SD Art Museum, & the Rapid City; BHSU Alumni Assoc.; President-Elect SD National Music Museum Higher Education Assoc. Fun Fact: Been to 5 continents other than North America Fun Fact: Enjoys golfing & going to sporting events Name: Johnny Brockelsby Name: Eileen Rossow Professional: Public Relations Director at Reptile Gardens; ; 2015 Education: University of Oregon - Accounting/Business; Ben Black Elk Award Georgia State University - Masters of Tax Community: Visit Rapid City, RC Chamber of Commerce; Past Professional: CPA Manager in several large corporations; present boards - Past President of Governor’s Tourism, Black Owner/Operator of Peregrine Pointe Bed & Breakfast Hills & Badlands Community: Membership VP of the American Assoc. of Fun Fact: He likes to golf in tropical places like Mexico & Latin University Women; Treasurer of Breakfast Innkeepers of America SD & Minnilusa Pioneer Museum Fun Fact: Loves animals Name: Gary Brown Name: Ernest Schabauer Education: University of South Dakota - Business Education: University of Vienna; Austria Medical School; Professional: Most recently, commercial building leasing Postgraduate Training Community: Past/present boards - RC Chamber of Commerce, Professional: General Medicine in Canada; Owned/managed State Tourism Board, Mt Rushmore Society, RC Boys Club, & medical practices in the Midwest & commercial/residential Crazy Horse properties in the US & Europe Fun Fact: Claims there’s nothing interesting about him Community: BH Symphony Orchestra Board; Rotary Club; Flying Physicians; National/Local Medical Associations Fun Fact: Has been a pilot & flying own plane since 1964 Name: Donna Fisher Name: Corrie Stephens Education: Drew University - Sociology, English; Masters from Education: University of South Dakota - Business South Dakota State University Professional: 20+ years of banking experience with 11+ years Professional: English Teacher 1979-1981 &1989-2001; Library as commercial; Commercial Banker at BankWest Media Director 1981-1989; Tour Leader in the Black Hills Community: President of the RC Downtown Lions Club; Community: Volunteer Mission in Haiti; Volunteer Mission VP Day of Excellence, Inc.; Banquet Committee for Leader in Lithuania; Docent at The Journey Pheasants Forever – Rapid City Fun Fact: 1989 South Dakota Librarian of the Year Fun Fact: Loves the Black Hills – hunting, fishing, hiking or camping Name: Christy Heacock Name: Michelle Thomson Education: USD; SDSU - Masters in Education; Doctorate (in Education: USD - Business/Marketing; BHSU - Master of progress) Arts in Tourism Professional: Educator at high school/university level; Professional: Former Hotel Alex Johnson Marketing Director, Coordinated community service projects in civil discourse & Director of Tourism Visit Rapid City; Current President/ adult literacy CEO of Black Hills & Badlands Tourism Association Community: Literacy Council of the Black Hills board/tutor Community: Past/present boards - RC Cultural Plan, RC trainer; American Assoc. of University Women; YMCA Regional Airport; Leadership Rapid City Class of 1998 Fun Fact: Granddaughter of SD homesteaders Fun Fact: 2016 Harley-Davidson Angel’s Road Ride Captain Name: Ritchie Nordstrom