CARIBOU, Maine — Supporters of the Nylander Museum are more than halfway to raising the $10,000 needed to match a pledge made by a donor in December.
The donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, challenged the Nylander Board of Trustees and its non-profit auxiliary group Friends of the Nylander to raise $10,000 by May 28. The donor promised to match every dollar raised up to that date.
Andrew Ketch, president of Friends of the Nylander, said a fundraising auction on March 10 raised $1,230. Local businesses contributed more than 50 items for the auction and many also made cash donations, he said. Some online bidders, he added, were from as far away as New York.
“It’s unbelievable how many businesses have given us gifts and gift certificates,” Ketch said on March 9, the day before the auction. “It’s been huge.”
Trustees and other members of the Friends organization also raised funds by sending out about 100 letters to friends and potential donors, who responded positively.
“We’re seeing a lot of responses,” Ketch said, “some from as far away as California and Indianapolis. Donations are coming from people who are either friends of board members or who used to live in Caribou. Some people from out of state are reading articles in the Aroostook Republican and have been writing us letters with their donations about seeing the articles.”
Money raised will cover essentially everything except operational and maintenance costs, as those are funded by the City of Caribou. Members of the Board of Trustees said in January that donated money will be used to fund additional educational programs and activities, and to improve displays, to help draw more visitors to the facility.
As Ketch was explaining the museum’s fundraising goals on March 9, a woman walked into the museum and donated $250. He thanked her and indicated that because of the nature of the challenge, that $250 donation actually meant $500 for the museum.
Even before the auction, Ketch thought that fundraisers might already have a little over $5,000 in hand.
With less than half a year to meet the challenge of raising $10,000, Ketch said he was initially worried that the museum might not have been able to hit the goal. Now, he thinks there is a good chance supporters will raise more than $10,000.
“It’s phenomenal,” he said of the donations being made.
Friends of the Nylander has been around since the 1990s, but it was not registered as a non-profit organization until late 2017 and did not have a board of trustees until Feb. 2 of this year.
“We’re still a volunteer group, but now we’re actually a 501c3,” he said, referring to the federal tax exempt status of the organization. “I’m tasked with trying to find volunteers for parades, and events like Thursdays on Sweden. I’m also trying to get the museum open on Fridays, as right now we’re only open on Saturdays and Sundays.”
Social media, according to Ketch, has been an immense help in spreading the word, as many people bid for items in the auction via Facebook.
With the auction over, Ketch said he and other board members are planning for another fundraising push after receiving replies from the letter writing campaign.
He said that preserving the museum is important for not only Caribou’s history, but for all of Aroostook County. The museum was originally designed to house the collections of Olof O. Nylander, a self-taught naturalist and Ketch’s great-great grandfather. Nylander spent a lot of time collecting among other items, fossils and mineral specimens, according to a description of the museum on the city’s website. Ketch said Nylander also amassed tens of thousands of differents species of mollusk shells, and that a few species were even named after him.
“Everything here is pretty much in your own backyard,” Ketch said. “Everything Olaf found was through zigzagging every square inch of the County, and even beyond to the coast of Maine.”
