Kerianne Severy has a vision, and she’s ready to actualize it. She recently formed a nonprofit with plans to open an indoor playspace right here in Middlebury. It’s called Vermont Children’s Museum.
Severy is a math teacher at Middlebury Union High School and a mom to two little ones.
“I found it challenging to find spaces to take my children when one wanted to run and the other was still crawling,” she wrote on Front Porch Forum last week. “Now that I have two runners, it is still challenging to find a space to play when the weather is disagreeable.”
Rutland has Wonderfeet. Burlington has ECHO. Wouldn’t it be great if there were something just for kids that didn’t require an hourlong drive?
“I believe Middlebury would greatly benefit from a children’s museum, so I’m starting one,” Severy wrote.
First things first, she needs a space. And not just any space: She’s hoping for something with two stories and access to parking, not on a busy road and walking distance to local daycare centers and Mary Hogan. “A tall order, it seems,” she acknowledged in an email to me last week after I enthusiastically replied to her FPF post.
She also acknowledged that she can’t do it alone. If you’re interested in getting involved, fill out Severy’s short interest survey here.
As for funding, Severy has applied for one of the Kick Start Middlebury grants and is anxiously waiting to hear back.
You may have seen Severy at last Saturday’s Bundle Market in downtown Middlebury, which is where I snapped the photo of her above. Come meet her, and learn more about her vision, at her booth at the next Bundle Market, Friday, May 21, from 3-7 p.m.
