Fund will create new programs and strengthen educational outreach.
A long-sought-after dream was realized this summer with the establishment of a permanent endowment fund dedicated to supporting the museum’s educational programming for youth.
The Shermaine Noble Maillard Education Endowment Fund was created through the generosity of her family and friends, as well as support from patrons donating gifts to this spring’s Daisy Garden Club April Shower fundraiser for the museum.
The $25,000 endowment is a permanently restricted fund, meaning that all monies contributed to and generated by the fund must be used for educational purposes and cannot be used for other expenses of the museum. Five percent of the average balance of the fund will be used each year as seed money to match grants and other gifts, generating support for programming designed to benefit area K-12 students.
Projects such as our Pioneer Learning for Area Youth Day (PLAY Day), which offers free arts and cultural programming for 3-6th Grade school students, and our Summer STEAM Learning Classes will benefit from additional financial support offered by the fund. Arts-related classes, such as sewing Seminole patchwork, beading, and finger weaving can be offered, as well as on-line and in-house history and cultural programs.
The new endowment fund is named after Shermaine Noble Maillard, a graduate of Wewoka’s Douglass High School and a life-long educator.
The fund is named for Shermaine Noble Maillard, who was a 1950 graduate of Wewoka’s famed Douglass High School. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Hampton University in 1954, and a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Central Oklahoma (then Central State University) in 1964. A longtime educator and early leader in school integration, she taught in Oklahoma City and Tulsa Public Schools. She was an enrolled citizen of the Mekusukey band of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma.
To make a tax-deductible donation to the Shermaine Maillard Youth Education Endowment Fund, please scan the QR code below or click here.
