The Friends of the Surrey Museum and Archives Society needs your support to offer free admission to the Surrey Museum by 2010.

The Friends Society has launched a new campaign to build their endowment fund managed by the Surrey Foundation. It is seeking community support from businesses, clubs, organizations and residents to make a donation and help raise $20,000 by the end of 2009. All donations large and small will:

• Help sponsor admission to the museum and make community heritage more accessible to the residents of Surrey. Free museum admission will bring families together to experience Surrey’s heritage and build pride in the city.

• Receive a tax receipt for donations of $100 or more. The Friends of the Surrey Museum and Archives Society is a registered charitable society.

• Be recognized on a "Thanks to Sponsors" panel displayed in the museum foyer.

The Friends’ fundraising goal of $20,000 will be matched by the B.C. Renaissance Fund, increasing the endowment fund by $40,000. Income earned through the endowment fund will be used to sponsor free admission to the Surrey Museum.

Permanent exhibition galleries at the museum tell Surrey’s stories through artifacts, visuals and sound. The temporary gallery hosts travelling exhibitions from across Canada on a range of cultural and heritage topics. The Hooser Textile Studio showcases traditional spinning, weaving and textile crafts.

For more information about the Friends of the Surrey Museum and Archives Society campaign to sponsor free museum admission, contact Friends Society treasurer,Al Cleaver at 778-578-0857. Donations can be made by sending a cheque or dropping off a contribution to:

The Friends of the Surrey Museum and Archives Society, c/o 17671 56 Ave., Surrey, B.C. V3S 1C9.

newsroom@surreyleader.com