With construction of the “New Bruce” officially underway, supporters have not only stepped up to the latest fundraising challenge ”“ they far exceeded the goal of the $500,000 Match, as revealed by the leaders of the Campaign for the New Bruce. The three-story, 43,000-square-foot addition will more than double the size of the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, adding state-of-the-art exhibition and community spaces.
This past summer, three friends of the Bruce Museum came forward to launch a $500,000 Challenge for the Campaign and agreed to match all new gifts by Oct. 8.
The Challenge was met by more than 100 donors, including past campaign contributors, raising more than $600,000 in new contributions. Lynne and Richard Pasculano were inspired by those who launched the Challenge and close to the end of the Match made a new pledge of $500,000. So, the initial $500,000 Challenge was matched, then matched again and followed by an additional gift of $100,000 by anonymous donors.
Such generosity from the community enabled $1.7 million to be raised within the past few months, a measure of how beloved the Bruce Museum is by its family of friends and supporters.
“In breaking ground on the wonderful new building addition, we are celebrating a new beginning for the Bruce Museum, and celebrating the donors who have gotten us to this point,” said Robert Wolterstorff, The Susan E. Lynch executive director. “We are truly grateful to the donors who launched this most recent Challenge and to all the generous supporters who came forward to double and ultimately even to triple the impact of their gifts. It really made a difference in allowing us to break ground this fall”¦.”
