OZARKS TONIGHT
THE DISCOVERY CENTER OF
SPRINGFIELD WILL HOST
THE 33RD ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF
TREES ON FRIDAY THE 20TH THE
EVENT AIMS TO
COMBINE SPREADING HOLIDAY CHEER
AND RAISING MONEY FOR THE CENTER
EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR. ROB BLEVINS JOINS US
NOW TO TALK ABOUT PRECAUTIONS
PUT IN PLACE TO KEEP
EVERYONE SAFE AND ALLOW FOR THE
ANNUAL EVENT TO STILL HAPPEN
ROB. THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR BEING HERE SUPER HAPPY TO BE
CHATTING WITH YOU. SO OKAY IN
ORDER FOR THIS EVENT TO
HAPPEN. THE DISCOVERY CENTER HAS
HAD TO IMPLEMENT NEW SAFETY
MEASURES INCLUDING
COVID TESTING FOR EACH ATTENDEE
AND EVERY STAFF MEMBER AT THE
EVENT.
WHAT WENT INTO MAKING THIS
HAPPEN AND WHAT
WILL THIS LOOK LIKE?
WELL, I FIRST OFF I THINK IT'S
PRETTY EXCITING
BECAUSE NOT ABOUT IS ABOUT A
MONTH AGO. WHEN WE WERE TRYING
TO DECIDE IT HAVING A
FESTIVAL OF TREES VIRTUALLY WAS
GOING TO BE BENEFICIAL TO THE
CENTER. IT'S REALLY HARD
TO FIT ON A TREE AND SPEND OVER
$1000 SOMETIMES ON SOMETHING
THAT YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IN
PERSON. SO I THINK GETTING TO
HOLD IT AS IS REALLY GREAT. BUT
THAT WAS CONVERSATIONS WITH
DYNAMIC DNA AUSTIN-BASED
COMPANY.
HE IS ABLE TO DO A FULL PCR TEST
USING THE NIH
STANDARDS AND PROTOCOLS AND TURN
THAT TEST RESULTS AROUND AND
JUST HOURS
AND SO IT ALLOWS US TO KNOW
WHETHER OR NOT WE THINK THAT
SOMEBODY HAS THE CORONAVIRUS
COVID-19 THAT NIGHT AND ALLOWS
PEOPLE TO LET THEIR GUARD DOWN A
LITTLE BIT. WE'RE STILL
GOING TO BE DOING MASKING AND
SOCIAL DISTANCING THE THE
SPACING OF THE EVENT.
WE'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE THE SAME
CAPACITY THAT WE'VE HAD WITH
IT, BUT EVERYBODY'S GOING TO BE
ENJOY SOME DELICIOUS FOOD BY A
NOTE A LISTEN
TO HOLIDAY MUSIC AND ENJOY SOME
DRINKS TOGETHER. I MEAN THE
TESTING ASPECT OF IT IS
JUST INCREDIBLE, YOU KNOW, THE
SPEED OF THE TESTING IS THIS ONE
OF THE FIRST CHARITY EVENTS
TO DO THIS.
WELL, I DID SOME INTERNET
RESEARCH. AND AS FAR AS I
CAN CAN'T FIND ANOTHER GALA
THAT'S ADVERTISED THAT THEY'RE
DOING COMPLETE COVID TESTING
FOR ALL OF THEIR ATTENDEES AND
STAFF ANYWHERE ON THE INTERNET.
SO, I DON'T
KNOW WHERE THAT PLACE IS.
HER AND BUILD MORE IN THE OZARKS
HAPPENING,
BUT IT COULD POTENTIALLY BE
NATIONWIDE OR WORLDWIDE AT THIS
POINT. SO YOU MENTIONED SOME
OF THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT
WILL BE HAPPENING AT THE EVENT A
CELEBRITY TEACHER IS ACTUALLY
GOING TO BE GIVING A
PRESENTATION. WHO IS IT? AND
YEAH, HER NAME IS MACKENZIE
ADAMS AND SHE
FAMOUS FROM I'M DOING A TICK
TOCK VIDEO ON HER VIRTUAL
TEACHING CHICHI FILMED HERSELF
WHILE SHE
WAS TEACHING AND INTERACTING
WITH SOME STUDENT AND UPLOADED
THE CLIP AND I GUESS THE
NEXT DAY ONE OF HER FRIENDS WAS
LIKE HEY YOU WANT IF YOUR VIDEOS
WENT VIRAL, BUT SO SHE'S
A KINDERGARTEN IN WASHINGTON THE
STATE OF WASHINGTON AND HER
ENTHUSIASM AND LOVE FOR
TEACHING HER STUDENTS AND
ENGAGING THEM EVEN WHILE
VIRTUALLY
IS HEARTWARMING IT'S IT'S JUST
INCREDIBLE THE
AMOUNT OF ENERGY THAT'S TO POURS
INTO THIS. YOU REALLY HAVE TO
WATCH THE VIDEOS LIKE 20 MILLION
OTHER PEOPLE HAVE IN THE WORLD
THEY WATCH THESE AND THEY JUST
CAN'T BELIEVE THE TYPE OF
PASSION THAT SHE BRINGS TO
EDUCATION. AND SO SHE'S GOING TO
BE COMING. SO WE BOTH HAVE
CENTER FOR OUR PIVOT IN OFFERING
EMERGENCY CHILD CARE,
WHEN ALL THE SCHOOLS CLOSED DOWN
AND THEN HER VIDEOS SO BETWEEN
US WE HAVE, YOU KNOW,
MILLION VIEWS ON OUR VIDEOS. SO
IT'S GOING TO
BE KIND OF A FUN 9 THAT RESPECT
IT WILL BE FUN. SO THIS IS A
FUNDRAISING EVENT. WHERE WILL
THE
MONEY GO?
SO RIGHT NOW WE WE DID GIVE OUT
OVER $600,000
FREE CHILDCARE THROUGH THAT
RESPONSE PROGRAM. SO OUR
SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS ARE BASICALLY
DEPLETED AT THIS POINT. AND SO
WE'RE LOOKING FOR FUNDS TO HELP
CONTINUE PUTTING KIDS
THROUGH OUR EDUCATIONAL
PROGRAMS. CAN YOU CONTINUE TO
SUPPORT THEM AND THEIR
NEEDS AND EVENTUALLY, YOU KNOW,
THE OTHER NEEDS THAT THAT WILL
POP UP WHEN IT COMES TO
STEM EDUCATION IN THE CLASSROOMS
AND AND
NEEDS WE WANT TO HAVE THE MONEY
THERE FOR
WHEN THOSE NEEDS ARE ASKED FOR
THERE'S DEFINITELY OPPORTUNITY
TO USE THOSE FUNDS
IMMEDIATELY TO HELP KIDS.
ABSOLUTELY. CAN YOU KIND OF
IMPORTANT TO
MAKE STEM EDUCATION MORE
ACCESSIBLE TO KIDS.
WELL FOR SOME KIDS THEY'RE NOT
NECESSARILY
GOING TO BE ABLE TO LEARN AT THE
LEVEL THAT WE AS A SOCIETY AS
PARENTS AS ADULTS WANT
THEM TO LEARN AT IF THEY'RE NOT
AGING ALL OF THEIR SENSES IN THE
LEARNING PROCESS AND SO
STEM EDUCATION AS A WHOLE WE
LOOK AT WHAT WE PROVIDE THEIR
MOST OF OUR CAREERS
GOVERNOR, MISSOURI RECENTLY WHEN
HE WAS DOING PRESS CONFERENCE
WITH US IN 2019 SAID THAT
THE OF THE KIDS IN THE ROOM.
ON THE JOBS THAT THEY'RE GOING
EVEN BEEN CREATED YET. AND
THAT'S WHERE WE'RE AT AS A
SOCIETY. WE'RE RAPIDLY CHANGING
THE
TECHNOLOGY ADVANCE.
KIDS THAT AREN'T GETTING THAT
LEARNING NOW ARE
GOING TO BE AT A DEFICIT WHEN IT
COMES TO ENTERING THE WORKFORCE
AND AS A COMMUNITY WHEN
WE HAVE WE HAVE ADULTS THAT GREW
UP AS KIDS THAT WEREN'T EDUCATED
PROPERLY IN STEM. WE'RE
COMMUNITY FOR FAILURE. SO FROM
THAT VIEWPOINT
THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. BUT
MORE THAN THAT ARE HANDS-ON
LEARNING THAT WE DO IN
COMBINATION
WITH OUR STEM LEARNING
REINFORCES THAT REALLY HELPS
CREATE THESE THESE MEMORABLE
ENGAGING EXPERIENCES THAT THAT
IN PROPEL LEARNING FORWARD.
AND INSPIRE KIDS OUT OF POVERTY
TO GOOD PAYING
JOBS. ABSOLUTELY. SO YOU
MENTIONED THAT THE DISCOVERY
CENTER KIND OF HAD TO PIVOT WHAT
THEY WERE DOING, YOU KNOW
ADAPTED TO THE CHALLENGES OF
COVID-19. DO YOU HAVE ANY UPDATE
ON THE CENTER'S FREE CHILDCARE
OR A LEARNING SUPPORT FOR
SPRINGFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOL KITS
YEAH, SO WE'RE STILL OFFERING
LEARNING
SUPPORT ON WEDNESDAYS. WE'RE
WE'RE ALSO WE'VE LAUNCHED
DISCOVERY TUTORING AND THAT'S
WHERE WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO
WORK WITH KIDS ON
GETTING THEM CAUGHT UP AND CURB
THAT THE THERE'S A LOT OF
THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER PARENTS
AND I TALKED TO WHERE THEY'RE
NOT REALLY COMFORTABLE
TEACHING THE LEVEL OF MATH AT
CHANGE QUITE A BIT WHILE WE HAVE
TUTORS THAT CAN HELP THEM GET
CAUGHT UP AND HELP THEM FIGURE
OUT WHERE THEY
TO GO WITH THAT SOME OF THE
SOFTWARE CAN BE
TRICKY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT ALL IS
COMMUNICATE WITH THE
TEACHERS WHERE THESE KIDS AND
REALLY FINE. WELL, YOU NEED TO
START WORKING ON AND GET
THEM CAUGHT UP. I THINK THAT'S
THAT'S PRETTY EXCITING. AND OF
COURSE WE STILL HAVE OUR
DISCOVERY SCHOOL PROGRAM GOING
HERE AT THE CENTER AND THAT ARE
EVEREST COLLEGE GOING
AS WELL. OKAY, ROB SO REAL QUICK
WHERE CAN PEOPLE GO FOR MORE
INFORMATION?
THE EASIEST PLACE TO GET
INFORMATION THESE DAYS
IS DEFINITELY ONLINE AND THAT'S
AT DISCOVERY CENTER. NO RG AND
YOU CAN GO TO EITHER / LEARN
TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ALL OF
OUR LEARNING PROGRAMS. IF YOU'RE
INTERESTED IN SIGNING UP
FOR A FREE TUTORING RIGHT NOW,
WE'RE OFFERING THAT TO THE
PUBLIC AT NO COST TO GET
EVERYBODY CAUGHT UP AND WE HOPE
TO CONTINUE OFFERING THAT
ALL RIGHT, ROB. THANK YOU SO
MUCH.
THANK YOU. WE'LL HAVE MORE
OZARKS TONIGHT
COMING UP AFTER THE BREAK.