<div>Hi, my name is Anderson Taylor. I’m 10 years old and I’ve loved fossils and natural history my entire life. After visiting the Staffin Dinosaur Museum while vacationing with my family in Scotland in 2022, I knew I wanted to open a museum of my own someday. With the help of my family, my community, and a lot of generous people from around the country, <strong>that dream became real on August 9th, 2024.</strong>
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<div>I attended many village board meetings and met with the village administrator many times about my dream of opening a museum, which resulted in the Village of Cambridge kindly letting me use an old building free of charge to get started. On opening day, I started with a single display case of fossils and artifacts. The collection has since grown to fill eleven cases and the museum has welcomed hundreds of visitors from around the world. We regularly host school and daycare field trip groups, and it’s been amazing to see how many people are excited to learn about natural history right here in our small town.
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<div>I have been overwhelmed with the generosity I have experienced this past year and want to do everything I can to fulfill my promise to those who have lovingly donated fossils, minerals, artifacts, and more to the museum and ensure these items will be displayed for years to come.
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<div><strong>This is where I need your help!</strong>
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<div>My goal is to raise $50,000 to purchase and renovate the building the museum currently occupies.
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<div>Your donation will help:
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<li>Secure a permanent home for the museum in Cambridge, IL
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<li>Restore and preserve the building’s brick exterior
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<li>Finish the upstairs space and convert it into a short-term rental to help support the museum financially and provide much-needed temporary lodging in the area
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<li>Update and repair the museum space, and create a small gift shop for visitors
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<div>If you believe in the power of curiosity, education, and young people chasing big dreams, I hope you’ll consider donating. Every dollar brings us closer to making the museum a permanent part of Cambridge.
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<div>Thank you so much for your support!
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<div>– Anderson
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<div>PS - Please join us in celebrating our one-year anniversary on Saturday, August 10th. We'll be open from 11am to 4pm that day.
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<div>NOTE: The goal amount shown may not reflect the actual goal. Because campaigns on GoFundMe are all-or-nothing, they gradually increase the goal amount as donations come in. This ensures that if the full goal is not met, partial funding is still available. 
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Matthew Wheaton

Chad Hamerlinck

Carter May

Kate Blank

Offline Donors

Anonymous

David Boberg

Raymond Pacheco

Sheryl Davidson

Jessica Fonseca

Duy Mai

Eimear O'Sullivan

Mark Canaday

Amy McGowan

Robert Hermann

Cambridge Natural History Museum Needs a Permanent Home

Cambridge Natural History Museum Needs a Permanent Home

Still $1,049 to go. Help us build momentum.