Louisiana Children's Museum "ages up" with innovative teen character programming and exhibit backed by $2.5 million from Lilly Endowment Inc.

Apr 29

NEW ORLEANS – Today, the Louisiana Children's Museum (LCM) announced a $2.5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to launch a groundbreaking character education and workforce development project designed to engage older children and teens.

The four-year, multi-faceted project is being funded through Fostering Character Through Children’s Museums, a Lilly Endowment initiative designed to help children’s museums develop new or expand existing efforts that explore and encourage the development of positive character traits among children and youth. Louisiana Children’s Museum is one of only 23 children’s museums around the nation being funded through this initiative .

The grant also represents the largest gift unrelated to a capital campaign in LCM’s history.

“Community, history and tradition are directly Sed to powerful pride of place embraced by all New Orleanians, including teens,” said Tifferney White, CEO of the Louisiana Children’s Museum. "For nearly four decades, LCM has fostered growth in children and families. Now, thanks to Lilly Endowment, we're aging up and expanding our impact to empower teens to contribute creatively, develop lifelong career skills and foster character traits like leadership and service within themselves and their communities.”

Lilly Endowment funding will support a forthcoming Teen Mentoring Program and a new exhibit, Character Connects Us, at LCM. The Teen Mentoring Program will give teens the opportunity to gain work experience through a character education curriculum and receive paid stipends while they contribute to the concept development phase of the new exhibit.

“In Louisiana, it is essential to ensure that we are putting our kids first, strengthening their leadership skills through integrity and character building,” said Amanda Shackelford, Executive Director of Louisiana Youth for Excellence. “The Louisiana Children’s Museum sets the standard for positive youth development, and this next era of ‘aging up’ addresses the vital role they continue to play as a leader in youth education across the state.”

The exhibit itself will be designed to be a shared space where visitors can gather, connect and explore civic virtues such as citizenship, community awareness, neighborliness and service and integrate performance and intellectual virtues like resilience, teamwork, conﬁdence, leadership, reflection, curiosity and critical thinking.

“The Louisiana Children’s Museum has long been a cornerstone of education, imagination and community in our region,” said Michael Hecht, President and CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. “This transformative gift from Lilly Endowment Inc. will not only expand the museum’s programming to support older children and teens but also strengthen New Orleans’ position as a place where families and young minds thrive. As the Museum launches this workforce development project, GNO, Inc. is proud to support a future where local teens can access spaces that foster career and mentorship opportunities.”

While LCM has historically focused on early learning initiatives for children birth through third grade, expanding programs and services to older children and teens is also part of its new strategic agenda to address critical community needs. LCM is now asking donors and the wider community to support and grow its important work.

"Character matters and Louisianans deeply value character traits like service, resilience, neighborliness and community," said LCM Board President Michael H. Schmidt. "Thanks to Lilly Endowment, we're excited to empower teens to explore and celebrate these virtues in a new exhibit, a signiﬁcant step as New Orleans considers youth opportunity around the 20th Anniversary of Katrina this August and LCM's upcoming 40th Anniversary next October.”

LCM Chief Learning Officer Shannon Blady, Ph.D., will serve as project director of the program with guidance from educational consultant Kathleen Whalen, MEd, LCSW. Blady and Whalen, along with LCM’s education team, piloted a Teen Mentoring Program last summer which served as a foundation for planning the new initiative.

They will continue the work with the guidance of Arthur Schwartz, Ed.D., president of Character.org.

“Children’s museums are places where children of all ages can learn informally, discovering new ideas through play, multi-sensory experiences and self-expression,” said Ted Maple, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for education and youth programs. “We are excited to see how the museums funded through this initiative will help children and their families to explore various character traits and reﬂect together on ways these traits can be practiced and strengthened.”

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About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based, private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly and his sons, Eli and J.K. Jr., through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Although gifts of stock remain the ﬁnancial bedrock of the Endowment, the Endowment is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. The Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion.

About Louisiana Children’s Museum
Louisiana Children’s Museum has long been known for its work in the community through innovative outreach and nationally recognized programs that support children and advance the museum’s mission to contribute to the region's future prosperity by engaging children's potential and making that potential visible. Through play, shared explorations, and in dialogue with adults, LCM connects children to each other, their caregivers, their environments, and the community. Keep up with Louisiana Children’s Museum and future announcements at lcm.org and on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Alicia Vial

Alicia Vial is a New Orleans native with more than a decade of experience elevating client stories and leading crisis response. As the senior director of strategy, Alicia acts as a leader within the Gambel Communications team ensuring each agency team member is positioned to deliver strategic public relations services that meet the highest standards of the industry. In addition to supporting the agency’s long-term business growth and development, she coordinates day-to-day account services and oversees strategic direction while staying abreast of best practices and industry trends to provide innovative solutions to meet client’s needs.

Before joining Gambel Communications, Alicia served as the communications director for the Louisiana SPCA, the oldest and largest animal welfare organization in Louisiana that impacts more than 74,000 animals per year. During her nearly eight-year tenure, Alicia oversaw numerous crises, served on national communication taskforces, oversaw all aspects of internal and external relations and worked alongside the development department to raise critical funding. Prior to that, she worked in the fast-paced New Orleans hospitality industry focusing on digital public relations for multiple hotels.

Alicia is a member of the Public Relations Association of Louisiana (PRAL), Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF), a board member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) New Orleans Chapter and a member of the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute. An accredited public relations practitioner (APR), Alicia is also certified in crisis communications, organizational leadership, content marketing and social media.

A well respected and trusted public relations practitioner, Alicia has been recognized by SPRF as a ‘Senior Practitioner of the Year’. Dubbed early on in her career as one to watch, she also received the ‘Rising Star’ award by PRAL and was profiled in St. Charles Avenue Magazine as part of their Young Bloods series. Most recently, she was recognized at PRSA’s annual Fleurish Awards and received four Awards of Excellence for her work along with the ‘Plate Spinner’ award for her efforts on the board of directors for the chapter.

An LSU graduate, Alicia received a bachelor's degree in mass communications with a concentration in public relations and minors in business administration and leadership development. She is a frequent speaker and presenter on public relations topics, most recently presenting at the Jefferson Economic Development Commission and SPRF annual conference.

When Alicia is not at work, you can find her at the ballpark with her three boys or cheering on the Tigers in Death Valley.

Louisiana Children's Museum "ages up" with innovative teen character programming and exhibit backed by $2.5 million from Lilly Endowment Inc.

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