In this week’s update: “Passing the torch” at Executive Director, 40% complete on Museum Match Challenge, and more!
In our weekly update, keep up to date on what staff and volunteers at the Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum are working on to lift up the history of Lindsborg and the surrounding region. This weekly update both looks back at what happened last week and looks ahead at what’s coming.
For December 12-17, 2023:
- Executive Director Lenora Lynam will move to a supporting role at the museum as she looks to passing the torch to a new director and allowing for a smooth transition. Learn more about the search for the museum’s next executive director HERE and apply at www.oldmillmuseum.org/careers.
- We are now officially 40% complete on the year-end $50,000 Museum Membership Match Challenge!
Right now anyone who buys a 2024 Lindsborg Museum membership will also secure a bonus to the museum worth three times the amount of the membership. It’s a perfect way to make donation dollars stretch farther this holiday season. With a generous challenge pledge of $50,000 from Julie-Ann Neywick – longtime museum supporter and volunteer – she will triple match any individual, family, and business memberships purchased between now and 5 p.m. Central Time on December 31.
The terms of the challenge mean that a $40 individual membership brings the museum another $120, a $60 family membership secures another $180, and getting a $125 business membership (which also grants membership benefits for up to 10 employees) will impressively secure an additional $375!
So far, there has been $4,870 from memberships and another $1,835 extra in one-time donations (which will help to fund more than 120 memberships for in-need families)!
To become a member today, visit www.oldmillmuseum.org/members to purchase online (NOW with the option to purchase a gift membership) or send a check to PO Box 94, Lindsborg, KS 67456 (including with the check the level of membership being purchased, email address, mailing address, full name, and phone number). Memberships can also be purchased with a credit or debit card over the phone by calling 785-227-3595 or in person at the museum at 120 E. Mill St., Lindsborg, Kansas, during museum hours of 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday – Saturday.
Learn more about the match challenge HERE.
- Mark your calendars: We have two upcoming genealogy workshops. First, the next all-day Swedish Genealogy Workshop will be on February 3. A shorter beginner German Genealogy Workshop is scheduled for February 17. Pages to register for both will be available soon on this website.
- Lenora assisted a researcher from California whose great-grandfather was an early Lindsborg settler.
- We will be transitioning to Square for processing card payments before the end of the year! This will allow us to expand payment methods we can accept to now also include payment apps, as well as tapping, chip reading, and the traditional “swipe” from cards. We’ll also be able to add the option to have your receipt emailed to you and to have better inventory integration between the physical and online gift shops.
- We have officially kicked off our Endowment Campaign 2025 to add $1 million to our endowment in supporting our annual operational budget to make sure that not only do we preserve these historical treasures, but we can also “keep the lights on.” Read more on the flyer and giving form below, or visit to www.oldmillmuseum.org/donations to learn more!
Thank you to our museum volunteers!
-Jerry Sperling and Carol Gusenius – Front desk coverage.
-Kathy Peterson – Clean-up and organization of our basement storeroom.
-Les Sperling, Karmon Almquist, and Jerry Hammerton – Museum Handy Crew