Keep Midland Beautiful (KMB) just completed a big, bold and audacious organizational transformational partnership with Midland County (Texas) Public Libraries.

Working together, the organizations brought a 2,500-square foot traveling children’s museum exhibit — “Super Kids Save the World” — into the community.

The project came with a price tag of around $100,000 — “a very big deal,” according to Amanda Byrom, KMB’s executive director, which is nearly double KMB’s annual budget. The project also doubled KMB’s staff size by adding one full-time and two part-time employees to manage the exhibit as well as other organizational capacities that needed to be added. Finally, the project more than doubled KMB’s physical footprint by providing a public “storefront” at the library in addition to the Keep America Beautiful affiliate’s traditional office space.

The exhibit was based entirely on living sustainably to create a clean and beautiful community. The exhibit includes; A family home with garden; a re-use charity shop, where kids learn to donate outgrown items instead of discarding them; a recycling center, where today’s trash becomes the materials of tomorrow; a gas station, where families learn tips to reduce fuel consumption; a farmer’s market, where foods come free of wasteful packaging; and a research lab, where alternative fuel sources are under development. All components encourage kids through pretend play that they can be Super Kids, too!

In previous years, KMB’s annual outreach totaled approximately 15,000 people. Through “Super Kids Save the World,” KMB has reached more than 72,100 people in just one summer. This project made the exhibit available to the public with no fee for admission. Not only that, but KMB also provided 560 kids with 23 free educational programs, educating more than 1,600 kids during summertime field trips. Together, KMB and the Midland County Public Libraries are introducing many thousands of people to their first museum experience.