Dear Editor: 

Fall means that families are back in the swing of school and daily routines. With days at the beach or pool behind us, it is the perfect time to explore what activities and resources are available to families in our region.

 As CEO of the nonprofit organization, Coastal Heritage Society, we have been inspired to launch an initiative to enrich our community by providing access to educational experiences. We have six very different museums in our region: Savannah History Museum, Savannah Children’s Museum, Georgia State Railroad Museum, Old Fort Jackson, Harper Fowlkes House, and Pin Point Heritage Museum.

Our initiative is called CHS All In and it enables us to further our mission to provide educational experiences for the public through the preservation and presentation of the historic resources of Coastal Georgia and adjacent regions. CHS participates in Museums For All, a national access program encouraging individuals of all backgrounds to visit museums regularly and build lifelong museum habits. We believe that museums are community cornerstones, providing valuable social, academic and cultural resources but the cost of museum admission can be a barrier for low-income families. CHS wants our community to access our museums regardless of their current socio-economic status.

For years, Coastal Heritage Society has quietly worked to reach members of our community living in poverty, giving their children, families, and schools access to our educational experiences by eliminating financial barriers to them. In its first year, CHS All In served over 16,500 visitors, increasing our reach by 200% to individuals living at or below the poverty threshold in the greater Savannah area. Currently CHS All In provides free admission to CHS museums on regular operating days for those receiving EBT, SNAP or WIC benefits, delivers complimentary field trips to Savannah Children’s Museum for all 1st grade students in Savannah Chatham County Public School System’s Title I schools, and sends our Mobile Museum directly into our community schools for STEM nights and more.

We want to expand CHS All In to reach more families, children, and schools in Bryan County. I hope readers will consider supporting Coastal Heritage Society and the CHS All In initiative by following us on social media and making a donation on our website chsgeorgia.org.

Nora F. Lee, CEO, Coastal Heritage Society Savannah, Georgia