SPOKANE, Wash. – Innovia Foundation is hosting free events throughout April that help educate and build awareness around causes important to local communities.
“As the community foundation serving Eastern Washington and North Idaho, we depend on the voices of our communities to guide our impact,” says Shelly O’Quinn, CEO of Innovia Foundation. “This month, we celebrate the importance of that partnership by investing in events that provide the opportunity for children, families and neighbors to discover more about their community and the world around them.”
The series of events will kick off on April 6 with free admission to the Palouse Discovery Science Center in Pullman where children of all ages are invited to learn more about their world through Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM).
Attendees will be treated to a special Solar Science Saturday with activities centered on the upcoming solar eclipse. Included will be glow-themed activities with Northwest Public Broadcasting, read-aloud with Ms. Rachael from the Neill Public Library, planetarium shows in the pop-up dome and face painting.
From April 19 to 21, Innovia will sponsor free entertainment at the Lewis-Clark State College’s Art Under the Elms Festival, a three-day annual celebration of creativity, community and culture in Lewiston, part of the month-long Dogwood Festival.
Free and open to all, the live entertainment promises to delight audiences as they learn more about local arts, culture and heritage. The engaging lineup includes cultural performances from the Oinkari Basque Dancers of Boise and Nez Perce Tourism, Folklóriko dance and numerous musical performances.
“Lewis-Clark State College is delighted to partner with Innovia Foundation in fostering creativity and cultural enrichment for our community at the Art Under the Elms Festival. Through our partnership with Innovia, we are excited to welcome musical acts and cultural performances to the festival that honor the vibrancy and diversity of our region,” says Jennie Jones Hall, Executive Director of the Lewis-Clark State College Foundation.
In honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month, Innovia will partner with Our Kids: Our Business (OKOB), a local coalition that advocates for children, to provide a free family movie day at the recently re-opened historic Garland Theater in Spokane.
Free showings will be held on April 21, featuring “Despicable Me” and “Paw Patrol.”
Families are invited to take a pinwheel home to display, joining with businesses and families around Spokane to symbolize the vital importance of child safety and wellbeing.
“The pinwheel represents the happy, healthy childhood every child deserves,” shares Dena Chappell, a member of OKOB. “By focusing on prevention, communities and individuals can protect children, strengthen families and raise awareness about the need to stop child abuse and neglect.”
More information about these events can be found at innovia.org/fifty.
