Dave and Heather Kinard: Supporting Conner Prairie’s Long-Range Vision
Thirty years ago, Dave and Heather Kinard had recently moved to Fishers, Indiana and their church volunteered at Symphony on the Prairie, setting up and taking down chairs and tables to earn money for their youth camp programs. Since then, Dave’s connection with Conner Prairie has grown from volunteer and regular museum visitor to board member and Development Committee Chair.
Now grandparents, Dave and Heather love visiting Conner Prairie with their adult children and grandchildren. Dave admires what comes from visiting a museum like ours and shares, “In my view, the most important value Conner Prairie provides to guests is inspiration — the chance to be inspired by history and to inspire the rising generation to be a part of making history.”
When Dave joined the museum’s Board of Directors in 2018, he and his family were inspired to deepen their impact and support the museum philanthropically.
“When I joined the board of directors and saw the long-range vision for Conner Prairie, I was inspired to donate. Prior to that I had no idea Conner Prairie had more than 1,000 acres, let alone the possibilities of what could be done with that land over the next 20 years,” Dave shared.
With Conner Prairie’s vision to change the way the world views and uses museums, there are many exciting opportunities on the horizon. For Dave, the Food, Farm, and Energy experiences planned for the new Conservation Campus are what is most exciting right now. “These experiences have the potential to help a broad audience understand the innovations from the past that have helped feed the world, and to help define the types of problems that will need to be solved by the rising generation to feed the world in the future,” Dave explained.
As a member of the board of directors, Dave has a first-hand role in shaping the future of our museum, including the day-to-day and the long-term planning. And Dave knows that his support as a donor is what will make it all possible. From the daily guest experience to inspiring new initiatives—every Conner Prairie project is made possible in part by our generous supporters.
“I value Conner Prairie’s track record to convert big ideas into tangible outcomes, so that those who donate can have confidence their investments will make a difference,” Dave shared.
A lot has changed at Conner Prairie since Dave and Heather’s first visit in 1993. And so many more exciting projects are on the horizon. The Kinards have every faith that Conner Prairie will continue to change the way the world views and uses museums.
Learn more about Conner Prairie’s Master Plan and vision for the future.
And learn about how you, too, can support Conner Prairie’s mission through our Mission Impact Fund, which makes possible the many activities, exhibits, and educational experiences that take place at Conner Prairie.