i SPACE announced “permanent closing” due to COVID-19 in April statement – changing course now.

NEWS RELEASE: i Space (Edited for publication by Chuck Gibson) 

LOVELAND, OH (May 10, 2020) – In late April, correspondence stating that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, iSPACE was permanently closing. Happily, that is not the case! However, we need your help.

iSPACE serves students, teachers and professionals by teaching them necessary STEM skills to prepare them for the real world through immersive, hands on programs. (Provided) 

It is true that we are currently closed and that the health crisis has caused our viability to be tenuous. Like many other non-profits and small businesses in our community, we experienced a significant loss in revenue from the forced cancelation of school field trips and camps which are the mainstay of our organization. However, we are greatly encouraged by the tremendous response from the community about the value iSPACE delivers through our mission. The Board of Trustees is committed to investigating options to keep iSPACE operational. Under the current environment, some of these options may be unconventional, as we deal with social distancing and closed schools. 

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The Board has engaged new leadership to guide us through these difficult times. Sue Hare, who had been with iSPACE for over 9 years, most recently in the role of Education Director, has taken over as the volunteer interim Executive Director. She, along with many of the passionate iSPACE educators you have known and loved over the years…though currently furloughed…are working feverishly on a pro bono basis, to help us survive this crisis so that we remain a valuable educational resource serving tens of thousands of students annually.
 
We apologize for any confusion. Please know that the entire iSPACE team is fully committed to our mission to ignite a passion for science and technology to prepare all learners to thrive in tomorrow’s workforce. We promise to provide transparency and timely communications during this period.
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
An anonymous donor has agreed to match donations up to $25,000 which DOUBLES the impact of any financial support you can provide. This can be found here: https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/saving-ispace-the-stem-learning-place there are posts on our Facebook page and Website as well. Today has been designated as COVID-19 Giving Tuesday and iSPACE would very much appreciate your support. Then on Saturday May 16, iSPACE will be conducting a virtual fundraising concert featuring the musical talents of iSPACE educator Ryan Vaughan on YouTube as a live video (Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/271894190655927/)
 
We hope you will participate in both events and become an iSPACE Hero.
Please contact our interim Executive Director, Sue Hare, with questions.