Originally published in The Salem News 11/24/22
By Caroline Enos
(Left to right) Mayor Ted Bettencourt of Peabody, MA, North Shore Children’s Museum Executive Director Ali Haydock, and North Shore Bank CEO Kevin Tierney pose with a $100,000 check donated from the bank to the museum.
PEABODY — The North Shore Children’s Museum in Peabody recently received its largest donation to date — $100,000 from North Shore Bank.
The money will supplement income-based discounted tickets to the museum, including the EBT Card discount that allows families who present an EBT card to pay $3 a ticket instead of the usual $12 cost for all visitors over 12 months old.
The donation will also fund a new banking exhibit for kids that is being designed by the NES Group, a bank and credit union design firm. It will include a piggy bank “Plinko” board, a drive-through ATM, play-teller lines, and cash registers with pretend money, and is expected to open early next year, according to a statement from the museum.
“We want every child on the North Shore to benefit from the museum — and that cannot happen without philanthropy,” museum director Ali Haydock said in a statement. “This donation from North Shore Bank will have a profound impact on our ability to serve families at all income levels.”
The museum is located where TD Bank once operated on Main Street. The new banking exhibit, one of 14 interactive exhibits designed for kids ages 2-10, will incorporate the teller line that still sits in the building.
Kevin Tierney, CEO of North Shore Bank, said funding this new addition to the museum was a “no-brainer” for the bank.
“The North Shore Children’s Museum offers unique and hands-on educational opportunities, and this banking exhibit will allow children to have a truly authentic experience,” Tierney said in the statement. “We’d like to congratulate Mayor (Ted) Bettencourt, and all the city officials, on their achievement of bringing this museum to our downtown.”
Bettencourt said actions like this are what will help downtown Peabody thrive for years to come.
“Partnering with local businesses will be mutually beneficial and important for both the museum’s success financially and the impact that the museum can have on the local economy,” Bettencourt said in the statement. “We are thrilled to receive this generous donation from North Shore Bank, which has been an amazing community partner since day one.”
For more information on the museum, visit www.nschildrensmuseum.org.