The Pacific Tsunami Museum has laid off its staff and reduced its hours, with current operations run entirely by volunteers. The museum needs about $500,000 to bring back its staff, support its aging facilities and hire contractors for projects that would revitalize and re-envision the site, said Cindi Preller, the executive director of the museum.
Over the holidays, hundreds of donations have poured in, but more is needed, she said. The Hawaii Island-based Olson Trust is one of the donors – it contributed $100,000 about a year ago and more recently, $100,000 this month.
"They are actively attracting investors as well as investing,” she shared in a follow-up email. "They are bridging important partnerships. They are providing expertise and direction. This evolution is long overdue. We would not be here without the support of the Olson team.”
The museum’s annual operating budget is about $500,000 and it turned 30 years old last year. Previously, it was open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, Preller said. Right now, it is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
“A lot of different things led to it but the truth of it is: it just wasn't wise to keep going at the rate that we were going,” she said. “Really, the museum has been meaning to regroup and strategically plan and reassess for a long time. That’s what we're gonna do.”
Preller laid off the museum’s 10 staff members days before Thanksgiving.
“My volunteers came in the very next day,” she said. “So, I laid staff off on Tuesday, and people showed up on Wednesday. And they just keep showing up, and they're running the museum because they care. And it's just — you have no idea how often I'm in tears because it’s just incredibly beautiful everybody that's stepping up and helping.”
Some of the volunteers are staff members who were laid off and choose to return as volunteers, Preller said.
The museum, which was originally constructed by Bishop National Bank of Hawaii, is one of the buildings designed by architect Charles William Dickey. The space is almost 100 years old now, she said.
“It's just incredible, right?” Preller said. “So, it would be really fun to completely re-visualize how to use the space and then bring it back to its former glory.”
Re-envisioning the museum involves a variety of projects, she added.
“It's gonna take all the things,” Preller said. “We need to upgrade exhibits. We need to really figure out how to utilize this beautiful old building we're in. To actually take on the building — if we really wanted to do something magnificent — that's going to be millions. Maybe there are some architects out there that are looking for a fun project. You never know.”
She is also planning to bring back an event that will bring together tsunami survivors and give them a chance to share their stories.
“We are using the power of story to educate and save lives,” she said. “It's a multi-faceted thing where we have almost 700 oral histories in the museum of tsunami survivors. So many of those are Hilo and Hawaiian families. And a lot of folks don't know that their grandparents’ stories are here. All tsunami survivors — and their families — are part of our ohana. They're always admitted for free.”
To help the museum, go to: tsunami.org/donate.
Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
