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Science Museum of Minnesota

Skills-Based Volunteering to Spark an Interest in Science

Posted 26 Feb 2019 by Anna Bosak, Community Affairs Specialist

H.B. Fuller is committed to supporting the communities where our employees live and work, and our employees are passionate about giving back and putting their time and talent to use. Skills-based volunteering – which leverages the specialized skills of volunteers to build infrastructure and capacity for nonprofits – allows H.B. Fuller and our employees to build strong relationships with local nonprofits. By serving on the boards of directors of nonprofits, employees contribute their expertise and meaningfully contribute to a cause they are passionate about.

H.B. Fuller and the Science Museum of Minnesota John Corkrean, Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, H.B. Fuller

John Corkrean, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, practices skills-based volunteering by serving on the board of trustees of the Science Museum of Minnesota. John first connected with the Science Museum long before he joined the board, as a parent with young children looking for engaging and educational activities. Today, as a board member, John is helping the Science Museum advance its mission of inspiring learning and using science to make lives better.

John brings his experience in financial management to his role on the board. As a member of the audit and finance committee, he can help the Science Museum of Minnesota understand and manage its financial results and think strategically about financial risks and opportunities. John shared that he has enjoyed leveraging his expertise and working with Science Museum staff to institute an enterprise risk management review as part of their strategic planning process. While John has been able to support the Science Museum, the benefits of skills-based volunteering also go both ways: his role on the board of trustees has helped John gain a new perspective on his interactions with the H.B. Fuller board of directors.

Collaboration Across Sectors

Beyond placing employees on the board of trustees, H.B. Fuller has a long history of supporting the Science Museum of Minnesota. For many years, H.B. Fuller has funded exhibits and research. In a particularly unique collaboration in the 1970s, H.B. Fuller adhesives were used to repair cracks in the Science Museum’s Triceratops skeleton! Most recently, H.B. Fuller sponsored a Cardboard Engineering Gallery as part of the Science Museum’s Year of the Engineer.

These partnerships have highlighted the connection between the missions of the Science Museum and H.B. Fuller: The Science Museum believes in inspiring learners and the power of science to make lives better; and H.B. Fuller leverages the innovation and creativity of our employees to meet customer needs. John has seen the impact of H.B. Fuller’s skills-based volunteering initiative and the strength of the relationship between organizations during his time on the board. He shared: “Our success as a company is in-part based on our work as a good community steward. At H.B. Fuller, we believe we have a responsibility to be active in our community, and to support organizations like the Science Museum of Minnesota.”

“The decades of support from H.B. Fuller have been invaluable in ensuring the vibrancy and success of the Science Museum of Minnesota,” said Alison Brown, President of the Science Museum. “John is passionate about our mission and his service has been especially valuable as we embark on an ambitious Strategic Plan that's creating equitable pathways to inspire more people to see themselves in science.” 

Spotlight on Innovation

H.B. Fuller is happy to announce that we will be continuing our partnership with the Science Museum of Minnesota with a sponsorship of a new exhibit in 2019. As part of the museum’s year-long focus on innovation and Minnesota-based inventions, H.B. Fuller will be supporting a hands-on space where visitors can learn from local inventors and create their own inventions. We are excited to be a part of this effort to inspire an interest in STEM innovation in the next generation. Through grantmaking and skills-based volunteering – including John’s role on the board of trustees – H.B. Fuller and the Science Museum will further strengthen our relationship and work toward our shared goals for our community.

For more stories of how our employees give back, follow #HBFullerCares on social media and visit www.hbfuller.com/community.

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