Port Huron Museums raise more than $16K with 8-hour telethon, avoids closure

Bryce Airgood
Port Huron Times Herald
Andrew Kercher, Port Huron Museums' community engagement director, interviews Chef Shell's Restaurant staff during the Giving Tuesday Community Telethon Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020, in the museums’ Carnegie Center. The fundraiser was broadcast through Facebook Live from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday.

In a span of eight hours, Port Huron Museums was able to raise more than $10,000 on Tuesday.  

And that’s not all. With sponsorships, memberships and donations leading up to its 8-hour telethon on Giving Tuesday, the museum was able to raise over $16,300.

“That means I won’t get laid off,” said Andrew Kercher, community engagement director. “We’ll be able to continue operating over winter.” 

On Tuesday the museums hosted its first “Giving Tuesday Community Telethon!" broadcast through Facebook Live.

Andrew Kercher, Port Huron Museums' community engagement director, left, interviews Haran Stanley about the museums' permanent Black History Month exhibit during the Giving Tuesday Community Telethon Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020, in the museums’ Carnegie Center. The fundraiser was broadcast through Facebook Live from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday.

The event started a little after noon and ended around 8 p.m. Acts during the event ranged from a cartoonist, a “Country Style Market Sweep,” live music and a demonstration on how to brush a dog’s teeth and other grooming tips. 

Kercher said people were watching “well outside the Blue Water Area” in places like Georgia, Tennessee and even Germany. The museum had close to 100 people watching at one time and averaged 60 to 70 people watching during the eight hours. 

The museums has been planning this event for about two months. The nonprofit had a series of unfortunate events in 2020, including being closed due to COVID-19, and was in serious need of funds or face closing during the winter. 

Veronica Campbell, the museums’ executive director, said the staff’s hard work and planning came to fruition Tuesday and the Carnegie Center “is in good shape to stay open in the winter,” depending on what COVID-19 brings in the future. 

From left, Port Huron Museums' Special Events and Volunteer Coordinator Stacey Dimmer, Executive Director Veronica Campbell and volunteer Nick Campbell work during the Giving Tuesday Community Telethon Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020, in the museums’ Carnegie Center. The fundraiser was broadcast through Facebook Live from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday.

“That definitely gives us some more time, some more staff time to continue planning programs and events this coming year,” she said. 

It gives the staff the time to come up with ideas and create exhibits and helps exponentially “careen” into next year with a great start, she said.

Although there was a particularly bad need for fundraising this year, the museum does fundraisers even during the best of times and Kercher said he thinks they will do this again. 

He would potentially like to get better technology for future events and make the telethon bigger, maybe have a panel of local celebrity call takers, maybe try to break a world record or give away a car if the event gets big enough. 

“I want people to look forward to this each year,” he said. 

Leer Sobie operates a computer feeding a live stream to Facebook during the Port Huron Museums' Giving Tuesday Community Telethon Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020, in the museums’ Carnegie Center. The fundraiser was broadcast through Facebook Live from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Contact Bryce Airgood at (810) 989-6202 or bairgood@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @bairgood123.