Celestial Wonders Await Thousands of Schoolchildren

KENOSHA, Wis. - May 29, 2015 - PRLog -- Thousands of schoolchildren around the United States will be able to view the wonders of the night sky, explore the science of optics, and study cosmic history thanks to a donation by Jean and Ric Edelman in celebration of the 2015 International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies.

The Edelmans, founders of Edelman Financial Services, one of the country’s largest independent financial advisory firms, have donated $300,000 to the Carthage College Institute of Astronomy to facilitate the acquisition and distribution of 10,000 Edelman Galileoscopes to K-12 educators nationwide. The program is operated in partnership with Galileoscope, LLC.

The Edelman Galileoscope is a high-quality telescope kit originally designed for the 2009 International Year of Astronomy. Assembling the kit requires no tools or adhesives, and lets users see the celestial wonders that Galileo Galilei first glimpsed 400 years ago. The craters of the Moon, Saturn’s rings and four moons circling Jupiter all come into view. Long-time astronomy buffs, Jean and Ric are making the donation to help improve math, science and technology literacy in America’s classrooms.

“The Edelman Galileoscope will help teachers reveal the mysteries of the universe to hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren across the country,” said Ric Edelman, Chairman and CEO of Edelman Financial. “Astronomy is the world’s oldest science. Discoveries just require the right tools and advice. Your financial goals can be realized with similar help.”

The donation Jean and Ric have made to the Edelman Galileoscope program will let teachers bring high-quality teaching tools to the classroom. Teachers can order a free case of six scopes, paying just $30 for shipping in the continental U.S. Free online resources will help teachers use the Galileoscope in the classroom. The 10,000 telescopes will provide hands-on learning experiences to hundreds of thousands of students nationwide.

Jean and Ric have a long-standing fascination with the study of celestial objects. The couple funded the Ric and Jean Edelman Planetarium at Rowan University, which includes a 16-inch telescope that feeds live images of the sky to the planetarium’s 40-foot-diameter dome.

K-12 educators throughout the U.S. are encouraged to tune in to Ric’s “The Truth About Money” radio program (http://www.edelmanfinancial.com/radio) this weekend to find out how to get their free case of Galileoscope kits.