Hello goforsrq. We are truly sorry you feel this way, and encourage you to visit or call. To clarify, if you donated since July of 2012, your funds are safe and sound in our local community foundation. Not one penny has been misappropriated. To repurpose GWIZ, it will require over 1 million dollars. As of this date, we only need around 300,000 more, and we appreciate the community stepping up and supporting us! If you believe otherwise, please come forward and talk to GWIZ. Our new CEO and new Board Chair insist on transparency, honesty, and straight talk. We can't fix any real or perceived problem unless we know who you are...and know we are trying to right many years of wrong.
Broken promises, lies, and deception. My company's substantial donation disappeared into thin air. Board members lied to my face to get the money, then changed their story about how it was going to be used. You would be better off throwing money into a hole in the ground.
Despite a new ED, the board still contains the individuals who ran G.WIZ into the ground. A highlight reel: lying to donors, presenting false financials to other board members, complete disregard for ethics and governance. Without a complete housecleaning, the organization will remain corrupt. Donors to the new revitalization campaign are throwing their money away.
This is a House of Cards that is soon to collapse. Ms Demeulenaere lied about her Education, she does not have any college credits to her name and may not even have a GED. She lied about her experience and credentials and was able to con the Board and has used her position for personal gain at great expense to G Wiz. The museum had expenses of 1.5 million over a revenue of 750 K and all they spend on rent is one dollar a year. What did they spend all the money on, they did not even repair the shabby exhibits. Careful Audit may reveal the ultimate impact of Ms Demeulenaere deceit. Ms Demeulenaere is gone, she is now spreading her lies to our neighbors in Tampa at MOSI, there is no stopping her now.
congratulations for the great job.I believe that when we create something new, you will be praised by others
I used to volunteer here. Sarasota has an almost nonexistant tech community and the children there need a resource to get them interested in Science and technology. GWIZ is one of the few bright spots in that area for this purpose. This science museum is involved with the local schools, and is even more so now that they have a new Fab Lab. This is a fantastic place and it definitely deserves any help that can go to it. When I volunteered here I worked in their Fab Lab, and it gave me experience with exotic machinery like laser cutters that will benefit me for the rest of my life. These resources aren't available anywhere else for miles, so please support the tech community in Sarasota and help GWIZ and the Fab Lab.
Donors beware. They are in big financial trouble. No current audits for a reason. Many staff have left or been fired. Many board members have left. Donations being used to pay debts and keep lights on, not for stated purpose. Positive reviews are from board members/staff trying to make illusion of community support.
My husband and I take our grandchild here as often as we can. He just loves GWIZ. It is such a fun and educational place to spend an afternoon. There is so much to see and do and my husband and I enjoy ourselves too.
Summer camp for my grandson was fun and educational. He had all of the fun with the enthusiastic and patient teachers and staff at GWIZ and I was delighted with the educational aspect. It opened his eyes to science in so many things that he has determined that "science is everywhere". I highly recommend any of the activities at GWIZ for all grandchildren. Grandparents who are interested in life-long learning, should accompany them and enjoy, also!
THE G-WIZ MUSEUM HAS OPENED MY EYES TO THE WAY TO INTEREST
AND EDUCATE CHILDREN ABOUT SCIENCE. BY USING A HANDS ON
METHOD, THE CHILDREN MORE RAPIDLY UNDERSTAND THE PRINCIPLES
BEHIND THE SCIENCE. IT ALSO GIVES THEM A CHANCE TO EXPERIMENT
ON THEIR OWN, AND SEE WHY THINGS DON'T WORK. WE ALSO FIND
THAT THIS SYSTEM WORKS WITH OLDER TEENAGERS, AS THEY CAN
USE THEIR IMAGINATION TO SET UP AND TRY THEIR OWN EXPERIMENTS.
WE NOW HAVE A "FAB LAB" WHERE THE OLDER CHILDREN CAN BUILD
EXPERIMENTS WITH MACHINE TOOLS AND ELECTRONICS, OR EVEN
INVENTIONS OF THEIR OWN.
GWIZ has always been an institution dedicated to the enrichment of its community. The exhibits, events and educational programs we offer leaves people with a wonder and fondness of science and the world around us. What really makes everything they offer so special is the dedicated staff and the heart and soul they pour into the experience every guest receives. I still remember the first day I went to GWIZ over five years ago. The museum was alive with the excitement of everyone, you and old, exploring the exhibits and demonstrations. A staff member appoached me and asked if I had any questions. After I talked his ear off (I was quite caught up in all the excitement), he asked me if I would volunteer. My immediate response was a big YES and I've been involved ever since. I consider myself very lucky to have such a wonderful organization in my own town and staying involved at GWIZ is a great way to give back to the community.
GWIZ is an amazing interactive science museum. I have been bringing my son here since he was a baby. I grew up going to the Children's Museum in Boston, and was ecstatic to be able to have a similar experience available to my son. Hands on science entices him to learn concepts that we then take and expand upon. Due to providing my son a steady stream of hands on science and technology, he has a constant thirst for more knowledge, well beyond what most kids are provided or are able to obtain at age eight. I truly believe that every child can experience this same excitement and self motivation to learn...if we spark their imagination. Since we hired the new educator at the museum, the outreach and educational programs have been taken to a whole new level. My son is begging to go to Science Camp all summer. I am also excited about the new Lending Library as my son (as well as our entire community), will benefit. GWIZ is making science kits available to teachers and home school programs so that our children will have access to comprehensive hands on learning tools. GWIZ will also teach the teachers how best to teach using these solutions.
Enough about my son. My husband is now planning to get to the museum to sign up for the Fab Lab. He has an enormous amount of ideas that he would like to bring from concept to design to build...all at the museum! Access to this type of Fab Lab equipment is an inventor's dream!
Really, the only constructive feedback I can provide is that we need to be able to get the word out there. It is a hidden gem in our community. We are starting to get the word out, but there are so many people out there who don't understand all that we do and what the museum has to offer.
Science education is critically important to the future of our country, and there is no better way to learn science than to experience it first hand. GWIZ is a place that makes this possible. I really enjoy the energy of the place when I am there. It seems like there is always something new and exciting happening.
Education in Science and Technology are the keys to America's future and that means we have to start with the youngest members of our nation! That's exactly what Sarasota Florida's GWIZ Science Museum does everyday. The Museum is chalk full of "hands on" exhibits that introduce kids to basic scientific principals in a fun way. Everything from how sound is produced and carried to the principals of magnetism to "mind ball" games that teach them about concentration and self control. Plus the Museum has rotating shows that dramatize scientific adventure with topic like deep sea exploration and treasure hunting to 3D explorations of the human body. And the Museum's Summer Science Camp is a sellout every year with classes in chemistry, space exploration etc.
The Museum recently added a first rate "Fab Lab" where amateur scientists can create working models of their own inventions.