The Kiwanis Club of St. Joseph and Benton Harbor has donated $10,000 to the Heritage Museum and Cultural Center in St. Joseph. Dave Driscoll with Kiwanis tells WSJM News the check was handed off this month, partly as a way for Kiwanis to honor Priscilla Upton Byrns, a museum supporter.
“It was something that was near and dear to the heart of Priscilla Byrnes, who we admire and have respected a long time, and with her recent passing, it seemed to be appropriate,” Driscoll said.
Driscoll tells us the donation to the museum was the idea of one member, Dick Peterson, who offered a $5,000 match. The Heritage Museum has been closed since early December. That’s when damage was done to the building by HVAC problems. It’s just about ready to reopen with its first public event next month following a successful capital campaign to replace the HVAC system.
Pictured, from the left: St. Joseph-Benton Harbor Kiwanis President Chris Heugle, Heritage Museum Director of Operations Marcy Simpson, and Kiwanis member Dick Peterson.
