GAINESVILLE, FL — Oelrich Construction and the Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention are teaming up to get students out of the classroom.
The inaugural Oelrich Construction STEAM Grant will improve students’ access to hands-on learning experiences by offsetting the cost of field trips to the newly-opened Cade Museum in Downtown Gainesville.
The construction management company has pledged $20,000 over two years as part of the inaugural grant program. The Oelrich Construction STEAM Grant
program is expected to help approximately 2,500 to 3,000 students in the North Central Florida area visit the museum.
Influenced by the expanding spirals of Fibonacci’s mathematic “Golden Ratio,” the grand 25,474 square foot Cade Museum facility features interactive exhibits, an active Creativity Lab and Fab Lab, a gift shop, temporary exhibit space, an outdoor educational terrace, and a sculpture garden.
Educators in Alachua, Levy, Citrus, Dixie, Putnam, Union, Bradford, Suwanee, and Columbia counties are eligible to apply for grant funding to offset classroom field trip costs.
“We understand that the cost of bus rentals, fuel, and admission can be an obstacle for some educators interested in organizing a field trip to the Cade Museum,” said President Ivan Oelrich. “Our team developed the STEAM grant program with museum staff to remove barriers to entry for underserved students.”
“Field trips provide actionable, real-world learning experiences for students. The main goal of this community partnership is to provide an ongoing positive impact in our community. We’re pleased to partner with philanthropic businesses like Oelrich Construction to invest in the potential and future of our community’s youth.”
— Stephanie C. Bailes, Executive Director of the Cade Museum
“We’re excited to invest in a truly enriching educational experience that will spark children’s interest in STEAM careers.”
– Ivan Oelrich, President of Oelrich Construction
Oelrich Construction will provide financial support for transportation/museum admission costs and the Cade Museum will provide hands-on programming to encourage active STEAM learning.
Field trips to the Cade Museum are geared to each grade level. Sample educational subjects include: soil and water, building materials and mathematics, as well as computer programming. Each lesson is composed of three main components:
Invention: Learning through the lens of inventors and their inventions
Explorations: Sparking creativity through hands-on projects and “Make & Take” souvenirs
Pillars of Science: Core content that correlates with the State of Florida’s
Collaborate, Plan, Align, Learn, Motivate, and Share (CPALMS) standards and national Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) standards
Immersive science, technology, engineering, arts, and math lessons will be at the fingertips of students in Alachua County and surrounding communities through the Oelrich Construction STEAM grant program.
In 2004, Dr. James Robert Cade and his family established the Cade Museum Foundation to design and build a museum in Gainesville, Florida. The Cade Museum is a museum of ideas and doing, with guest experiences which are meant to spark wonder, inspire curiosity, and lead to the development of an inventive mindset. The mission of the museum is to transform communities by inspiring and equipping future inventors, entrepreneurs, and visionaries. Dr. Cade, a physician at the University of Florida, was best known as the leader of the research team that invented Gatorade in 1965. For more information on opportunities to support the Cade Museum, please visit www.cademuseum.org to make a financial donation, register as a volunteer, or purchase a membership.
About Oelrich Construction, Inc.
Established in 2004, Oelrich Construction is dedicated to empowering America’s next generation of builders and innovators. The company is a leading provider of construction management services in North Central Florida. With offices in Jonesville and Winter Garden, Oelrich Construction serves a diverse array of education, government, parks/recreation, commercial, healthcare, and civil/public infrastructure markets. Depot Park and the Cade Museum are two local projects constructed by the company, which have inspired this outreach initiative. Oelrich Construction’s target philanthropic focus areas include: Youth, Education, and Workforce Development. For more information about the company’s community initiatives, please visit www.oelrichconstruction.com/
