Starting Tuesday, June 9, 2020, the National Museum of Bermuda (NMB) will be giving community members, supporters and friends a unique opportunity to name one of the Museum’s resident sheep by making a donation.

When the Museum temporarily closed its gates in March, its resident sheep took control of NMB’s social media platforms, posting their daily antics while holding down the Keep Fort. They’ve done such a great job, NMB staff have enlisted them to help fundraise.

Supporters can donate any amount, starting at $10. $10 buys 10 votes, $25 buys 30 votes, $100 buys 150 votes, $250 buys 400 votes, $500 buys 1,000 votes and for $1,000, the donor can pick their own sheep name and close the voting on that name. Each purchase goes toward one sheep name only.

Over the past 75+ days, the Museum has worked closely with Department of Education to produce social studies lessons for remote learning and future classroom use, moved their teacher professional development programme training online with webinars, and launched “United Together”, a community crowd-sourced digital project documenting this historic moment.

All donations will directly support these current education and outreach initiatives, the maintenance of the Museum’s 11 historic buildings, NMB’s dedicated staff, and its collection of 80,000+ conserved objects.

As a non-government and non-profit organisation, NMB relies on admissions, venue hire and generous support of donations to fund its operations. With the Museum’s closure, donations are more essential than ever.

Elena Strong, NMB Executive Director said: “Facing unprecedented challenges, we also find opportunities, like taking a role as a bastion of hope and reassurance during trying times. We are providing historical context and reference points. This moment has amplified Museum priorities and accelerated our community engagement and education initiatives. We need your support to help us continue our work and re-open at full speed”.

Vote to name one, or as many sheep as you can by visiting www.nmb/bm/sheep.

• Press release from the National Museum of Bermuda