March 8, 2022
Dear Friends,
Thank you for your interest in the Friends of Kam Wah Chung and Company Museum! Our Friends group consists of amazing volunteers, supporters, and members who contribute to the success and increased interest in the Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site.
The Friends of the Kam Wah Chung and Company Museum is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization committed to supporting the preservation and protection of the Kam Wah Chung & Co. Museum. We are committed to educating and informing the public about the importance of the Chinese individuals who helped define the culture and history of the American West.
We are excited to announce that the museum and interpretive center will be open to the public this season, May 1stthrough October 31st. Our tours now include a virtual option that can be viewed at the interpretive center and an upcoming Virtual Reality tour that will be hosted on our website (www.friendsofkamwahchung.com). The VR project will include a tour that takes visitors “behind the scenes” of the museum, into spaces typically not shared during in-person tours and interactive elements that encourage visitors to engage with items seldom seen.
Additionally, we have several projects planned in 2022, including the creation of a Friends logo and related media and branding materials. Read more about this project on our website (https://friendsofkamwahchung.com/blog/). We are also currently recruiting volunteers for multiple positions, including Oregon State Parks hosts, visitor information hosts, Museum store clerks, and more! Please contact us at friendsofkwc@gmail.com or our curator, Don Merritt, at donald.merritt@oprd.oregon.gov or 541-575-2800 if you are interested in volunteering.
We are also excited to share that the Kam Wah Chung Heritage Site was selected to receive bond funds obligated by SB 5506, passed by the Oregon Legislature. This bond will be used to acquire the nearby city park and fund the construction of a new interpretive center and collections building. The Kam Wah Chung Heritage Site will receive an estimated $3-5 million for this project. A stakeholder letter has been included with this update, which provides more information about this exciting process! Our Friends members have an opportunity to participate in and comment on the design and concept options being considered for the interpretive center. We encourage all of our Friends to review the materials and comment! More information on this project can be found here (https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/PCB/Pages/PCB-GO-Bond-Kam-Wah-Chung.aspx).
In addition to our yearly Friends membership letter, we also provide updates and share interesting information about the Kam Wah Chung Heritage Site on Facebook at “Friends of Kam Wah Chung & Co Museum” and on Instagram as @friendsofkamwahchung. Please like and follow us to see our amazing museum and some of the work our Friends group does!
If you are interested in becoming a member of the Friends of Kam Wah Chung and Company Museum, please donate using our Membership Card enclosed herein with this letter, via PayPal located on our website (or via the provided QR code below), or even when you purchase from Amazon by identifying us as your preferred organization using AmazonSmile. If you plan on donating via PayPal, please indicate that it is a membership payment using the notes option.
Again, thank you for your support and we hope to see you at the Museum soon!
Sincerely,
Katee Withee
President, Friends of Kam Wah Chung Museum
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