News

Team 1 Plastics Proud to Sponsor Kids ‘N’ Stuff’s Free Days

Team 1 Plastics, a plastic injection molding company for the transportation industry, is proud to be a long-time sponsor of Free Days at the Kids ‘N’ Stuff Children’s Museum in Albion, Michigan. According to Audrey Dean, Executive Director of the Museum, Team 1 has been sponsoring Free Days since 2010 and is currently “tied with Mark Putvin of State Farm as the longest running Free Day sponsors.”

Free Days, which were begun in 2009, are scheduled for the fourth Thursday of each month and offer free admission to the museum. Dean said that the importance and purpose of Free Days is “to provide accessibility to people who might not be able to afford to come to the Museum on a regular day.” She added, “We extend our hours on Free Days so that we are open until 7:00 pm — normally, we’re open to 4:00 pm – so working parents still have an opportunity to bring their children. We’ve really tried to make it so that anyone could come to the museum.”

The success of Free Days is evident by the attendance. The Museum had 445 guests on the July 2018 Free Day (sponsored by Team 1 Plastics). Dean said that Free Days in the summer months are typically the highest attendance days of the year, about four times more attendance than on a normal summer day.

Kids ‘N’ Stuff Children’s Museum was founded by Rebecca Mitchell, wife of former Albion College President, Peter Mitchell. According to Dean, in 2000, after Mrs. Mitchell read an article about Boston’s Children’s Museum, she decided that Albion needed a children’s museum. “I think that she believed that Albion and the children of Albion are worth a children’s museum, and they deserve this thing that normally you can only find in big cities.” The idea went from a concept to a reality when the Museum opened its doors in 2002.

Dean joined the museum as Executive Director in 2013. Originally from northeast Indiana and having a Master’s degree in Arts Administration from Indiana University, Dean and her family moved to Michigan when she accepted the job at Kids ‘N’ Stuff. She said, “I grew up in children’s museums. I was homeschooled so we spent a lot of time at children’s museums, and when I saw this posting, I thought, this is where I want to be.”

Kids ‘N’ Stuff serves not just kids and their parents. Dean said that the Museum hosts field trips from elementary schools, preschools, daycare centers, and even summer camps. “We’re so thankful for Team 1’s support since virtually the beginning of Free Days.”

Support of Free Days is a natural fit for Team 1. As part of its Championship Dream, Team 1 Plastics aims to be a Positive Community member. “We strongly value the importance of continuous learning of our team members and their families with special emphasis on the children of our communities” – exactly who Kids ‘N’ Stuff Children’s Museum serves.