News· October 9, 2026· 3 min read

The Children’s Museum of the Treasure Coast’s Mobile Museum Has Reached 5,000 Students

The Children’s Museum of the Treasure Coast Mobile Museum, a blue van wrapped in space art and the words S.T.R.E.A.M., parked under oak trees

Last year the Annette Urso Rickel Foundation gave $16,000 to The Children’s Museum of the Treasure Coast in Jensen Beach. It was the last piece of funding the Museum needed to buy its new Mobile Museum, a van that takes hands-on S.T.R.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Robotics, Engineering, Arts and Math) programs to schools and communities.

This week the Museum wrote to tell us how it has gone. The van has already reached more than 5,000 students, from northern Indian River County to southern Palm Beach County. It now carries a 30-foot inflatable planetarium, three traveling exhibits and 14 outreach programs. It has also brought the Museum into middle and high school classrooms for the first time.

The rear doors of the Children’s Museum of the Treasure Coast Mobile Museum van, thanking sponsors including the Annette Urso Rickel Foundation — The back of the Mobile Museum van thanks its sponsors, including the Rickel Foundation.

A planetarium that travels

The newest addition is a STARLAB inflatable planetarium. The Museum’s educators set it up in a classroom or gym, the students sit inside, and moons and planets are projected across the dome above them.

An educator speaks to a group of young students seated on the floor beside a large black inflatable STARLAB planetarium dome — Students get a briefing before heading into the STARLAB planetarium.

Children seated inside the inflatable planetarium look up at moons and planets projected on the dome — Inside the dome (left), and WPTV’s T.A. Walker and meteorologist Jennifer Correa visiting the planetarium (right).

Two people in an astronaut costume and an inflatable alien costume pose in front of the STARLAB planetarium dome — Inside the dome (left), and WPTV’s T.A. Walker and meteorologist Jennifer Correa visiting the planetarium (right).

A letter from Tammy Calabria, Executive Director of The Children’s Museum of the Treasure Coast

Tammy Calabria sent the following letter to the Foundation. We share it here in full.

Thank you for helping us turn a dream into reality!

Last year, The Children’s Museum of the Treasure Coast purchased our new Mobile Museum, and thanks to your generosity, we have already brought hands-on S.T.R.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Robotics, Engineering, Arts, and Math) educational experiences to more than 5,000 students!

Your incredible $16,000 contribution was the final investment we needed to complete the purchase of our new mobile unit. You helped us cross the finish line, and the impact has been extraordinary!

Since then, we have expanded our educational offerings to include a new 30-foot inflatable planetarium, bringing the wonders of the universe directly into schools. Our Mobile Museum now travels from northern Indian River County to southern Palm Beach County, reaching students who might otherwise never have the opportunity to experience our Museum.

Even more exciting, this new vehicle has opened doors to middle and high school classrooms, a significant milestone for our Museum! Today, we offer 3 traveling exhibits and 14 educational outreach programs, with the ability to transform a school, neighborhood, or community center into a miniature Children’s Museum filled with discovery, imagination, and hands-on learning.

Our Education Team is small but mighty, just like our Museum, and they are making a tremendous impact across the Treasure Coast.

We would love to bring our Mobile Museum to you for a visit! And if there is a school or community you would like us to reach, please let us know. We would be delighted to make that connection.

Your generosity didn’t just help us purchase a van. It helped us expand our reach, open new doors, and bring the power of play and discovery to thousands of children.

From our entire Museum family, thank you for believing in our mission, investing in our vision, and making our team’s dreams come true!

With heartfelt gratitude,
Playfully,

Tammy Calabria
Executive Director
The Children’s Museum of the Treasure Coast

To learn more about the Mobile Museum or book a visit, go to childrensmuseumtc.org.