Discovery Playhouse gets a boost, still needs donations

Renovation of the Walthers building on Broadway in Cape Girardeau is going a bit slower than Martha Brown, president of the Southeast Missouri Children's Museum board, would like. But the Discovery Playhouse, an interactive, hands-on museum for children, is still expected to open sometime this spring. That effort got a boost this week with a $10,000 donation from the Bank of Missouri.

Getting donations is tough at a time when many not-for-profit organizations in our area are struggling to keep pace with community needs. The Discovery Playhouse offers Neighborhood Assistance Program tax credits to its benefactors. And there are efforts to be as frugal as possible to convert the former retail building into a museum destination. Volunteers are providing valuable services, and the museum board got quite a bargain when it purchased needed items from the former K's Merchandise building that was demolished last year to make way for a new medical building.

Plans for the Discovery Playhouse so far include an old firetruck, an ATM that dispenses play money, a Schnucks-sponsored grocery area and a fitness area sponsored by Southeast Missouri Hospital.

The museum board has a six-year lease on the Walthers building but hopes to be able to purchase it, if there are enough donations. There also are plans to expand the Discovery Playhouse on the building's second level.

More information about the Discovery Playhouse, including how to make a donation, can be found on its website, discoveryplayhouse.org.