The “Follow Your Food” exhibit at the Terre Haute Children’s Museum brings agriculture and its connection to the food on America’s tables to life for visitors. The Hollie and Anna Oakley Foundation’s sponsorship of the exhibit honors the Oakley family’s history in the grocery business and the importance of agriculture to Indiana’s economy. “Follow Your Food” is the only agriculture exhibit in the state of Indiana.

In illustrating the importance of farming to everyday life, the exhibit encompasses displays of equipment, information in electronic formats about various types and aspects of farming, life-size interactive models of a cow and a pig, a grocery store and deli where children can shop for farm-grown food and a kitchen where food purchases can be prepared.

In addition to its sponsorship of the “Follow Your Food” exhibit, the Oakley Foundation provided financial support for the electronic message board on the Children’s Museum’s exterior.

The Oakley Foundation is a private foundation established in 1954 to promote religious, educational and charitable endeavors, particularly in the states of Indiana, Illinois, and Florida.

Testimonials

The Oakley Foundation long has been a major sponsor of educational projects and programs in the Wabash Valley. The Foundation’s financial support of the Terre Haute Children’s Museum is another example of its dedication to and concern for the future of our children, our state and our country. The museum will play a vital role in educating and inspiring the scientists, engineers, mathematicians and teachers necessary to ensure America’s continued economic progress.

– John Thompson
President, Board of Directors
Terre Haute Children’s Museum

Many of us take our food supply for granted. The truth of the matter is we need to continue to increase the amount of food we produce. To do this we will need a larger and more highly educated workforce dedicated to that task. Thanks to the Oakley Foundation’s support of the Terre Haute Children’s Museum’s “Follow Your Food” exhibit, we are addressing this need by educating children about food production as science.

–Lynn Hughes
Executive Director
Terre Haute Children’s Museum

About the Oakley Observatory and Oakley Southern Sky Observatory from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Our primary research interest is in asteroid photometry. We take images of select asteroids over several nights. From those images we determine the brightness of the asteroid. Since most asteroids are not spherical shaped, as they rotate we see a broad side and the asteroid appears bright and later a narrow end and the asteroid appears fainter. By plotting out these brightness variations we are able to determine the rotation period of the asteroid. We can also deduce information about the shape of the asteroid and even the orientation of the rotation axis in space. Scientists studying the solar system can use this information to better understand the origin and evolution of the solar system.

As of December, 2010 we have determined rotational periods and published lightcurves for 267 asteroids and published a total of 26 papers with 51 Rose-Hulman students, 3 Rose-Hulman professors, and 2 high school students as coauthors.

Completed in the fall of 2003, the Oakley Playground in Deming Park, one of Terre Haute’s most frequented parks, draws children and families from across the region. Nestled in the park’s mature trees the playground serves as a model for safe, accessible play.

About Oakley Place from the Indiana State University Foundation

Oakley Place at Third and Chestnut Streets (U.S. Highways 40, 41 and 150 near downtown Terre Haute) marks the current southwestern boundary of Indiana State University and chronicles the history of the institution from its founding in 1865 as Indiana State Normal School to its evolution as a comprehensive university 100 years later.

The arched monument not only signals to students and visitors that they have arrived at the ISU campus, it has played an important role in Fall Welcome each year since its construction in 1996. Following completion of a student convocation at Hulman Center on the Sunday prior to the start of fall semester classes, incoming freshmen “March through the Arch” to symbolize their new status as ISU students.

Ivy Tech Community College -Wabash Valley Region is proud of its Center for Information Technology and the Oakley Auditorium, which is the crown jewel of this facility. Because of Oakley Foundation’s generosity to Ivy Tech, the College was honored to dedicate the Auditorium on October 4, 2005 in the name of the Oakley family, as a way of thanking them for their commitment to the education of Ivy Tech students. Oakley Foundation has provided a lifetime scholarship endowment that will help students in the Region achieve their educational goals. The Auditorium, an inviting and versatile space with eye-catching elements, has become a special gathering place for community members and Ivy Tech students, faculty and staff to share many educational, social and cultural experiences.

The Oakley Auditorium interior is perfect for seminars, concerts, cultural events, or any other event that requires a theatre-like setting because it has:

• seating capacity for 263
• state-of-the-art technology
• a dramatic venue
• is Internet ready– wired or wireless

The Oakley Auditorium exterior is ideal for receptions or gatherings before or after auditorium events as well as for stand-alone events. This space, which is entered from a striking outside façade that features a rounded archway made of red brick, has:

• a cathedral like ceiling two-stories high with a catwalk
• a lobby area with 40-75 guest capacity and flexible seating arrangements

For more information about the Oakley Auditorium or other Ivy Tech facilities, please contact the Development Office at 812-298-2482.