Children’s Discovery Museum awarded $20,000 for sensory sensitivity initiative ahead of 2023 reopening

Cindy Burreson, CEO of the Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert, was the winner of the RAP Foundation's Desert Fast Pitch Competition this year, which comprised of the $20,000 grand prize.

Each year the RAP Foundation, NPO Centric and their generous sponsors host the Desert Fast Pitch Competition, where representatives from Valley non-profits take part in an eight-week course that gives them the opportunity to develop fundraising materials and ultimately emerge from the training with a three-minute pitch that each will compete with, according to a press release from CDMoD.

Burreson’s pitch celebrated the fact that the museum is reopening as a Certified Autism Center and noted that the prize money will be used to create tools for neurodivergent families to enhance their visits to CDMoD.

Their priority will be to build a private Low Sensory Room which Burreson explained, “is a space for caregivers to bring a child who may be experiencing a sensory meltdown and nurture them using fidget toys, weighted blankets and other such tools that evoke calm.” 

They will have sensory bags available with things like noise-reducing headphones, sunglasses and maps that describe the type and level of stimulation of each of the museum’s exhibits as well. 

“Low Sensory Rooms and these other tools have a huge impact on whether these families will even visit a museum like ours, so we are taking it seriously. We will be a sensory inclusive venue,” said Burreson.

VIP badges will also be included in the Sensory Bags to discreetly let the museum’s Autism Certified Staff know that they have a patron with a sensory need.  

The Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert plans to reopen in 2023 with new exhibits and programming, although an exact date has yet to be announced.  

The museum had been slated to reopen in December 2022, but the reopening timeline has been delayed because of two main factors: fundraising and fabrication.

"We still need to raise a little over $1 million, and there are supply shortages that can affect the fabrications," said Burreson.

Community members are invited to make donations toward the museum’s reopening in 2023 with new exhibits and programming. 

All efforts are welcome and anyone can donate by visiting www.cdmod.org. Checks can also be mailed to CDMoD 71-701 Gerald Ford Drive, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270.