Daytona Beach, Florida - Local GE Volunteers win National Elm Tree Award for MOAS Contributions

Oct. 30, 2011 - PRLog -- Daytona Beach, FL  - On November 16 at 4:15pm, the Museum of Arts & Sciences (MOAS) sculpture garden will welcome a new living work of art – an Elm tree. The local GE Elfuns/GE Volunteers chapter has been honored to receive the nationally prestigious Elm Tree Award and has chosen the MOAS location for its permanent home.
GE Elfun is a global GE organization of employees and retirees with chapters around the world who promote GE community service and social activities. This highly prestigious award is in recognition of the Florida Atlantic Coast Chapter of GE Elfuns/GE Volunteers being the best of all chapters in 2011, with their strong community partnerships, local business partners and thousands of hours of volunteer labor.
Participating in the elm tree planting ceremony will be GE Volunteers and representatives from their major partner organizations, including the Board of Trustees and staff of the Museum of Arts & Sciences; Palm Terrace Elementary School; Halifax Habitat for Humanity; the Daytona Beach Computer Learning Center; YMCA Camp Winona and the Children's Musical Theatre Workshop. Also attending will be local businesses that support the GE Volunteers ‐ Benedict Advertising, Allied Windows, Thompson Pump, Mediatech, M&M Systems, Lore L Ltd. and Raydon. This unique combination of community organizations, businesses and volunteers has partnered for many years and as a group share the recognition of the Elm Tree Award.
Jim Kotas, Chair of the Florida Atlantic Coast Chapter of volunteers noted, “Our volunteers thrive by providing hands‐on, enriching opportunities to make differences in people’s lives, especially children and families.”
Deborah B. Allen, Interim Director of the Museum of Arts & Sciences states, “The GE Volunteers give countless hours to our Charles and Linda Williams Children’s Museum. They add to our visitors’ enjoyment by not only helping to maintain our current exhibits, but also through the creation of new ones. We thank them for their many contributions throughout the years and feel their award and national recognition is well‐deserved.”

For more information, images, or an updated schedule please visit www.moas.org or contact Rene Bell Adams – rbadams@moas.org
About the Museum of Arts & Sciences – The Museum of Arts & Sciences (MOAS) is the primary art, history and science museum in Central Florida. Located on a 90‐acre Florida nature preserve, the 100,000 square foot facility is host to over 30,000 objects including the finest collection of American Art in the southeast, one of the most significant collections of Cuban art outside of Cuba, a Chinese art collection, Florida's prehistoric Giant Ground Sloth, a large Coca Cola and Americana collection, and a rare Napoleonic Collection. The MOAS collection also includes a wealth of historic paintings and African Artifacts. The museum’s auditorium, planetarium, and Charles and Linda Williams Children's Museum make for a truly interactive experience.
Planetarium and laser shows daily. Museum Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Tuesday ‐ Saturday) and 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. (Sunday). Closed Mondays, except holidays. Museum admission is $12.95 for adults; $6.95 Children 6‐17; $10.95 for seniors and students; members and children 5 and under are free. Admission includes Planetarium. Parking is free. MOAS is fully accessible to the handicapped. MOAS is located at 352 S. Nova Road, Daytona Beach, Florida 32114. For more information call 386.255.0285 or visit www.moas.org.
MOAS is a not‐for‐profit educational institution founded in 1955 and chartered by the State of Florida in 1962. The Museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. Programs sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts and the County of Volusia.