The Independent

Lambton County has launched a $3.5 million fundraising campaign to help create the Stones ‘N Bones Museum and transform the Sarnia Library.

The campaign launched Sept. 10, with the Alix Foundation providing a $500,000 contribution designated for the children’s library. ““We hope this investment will help create meaningful experiences for children and families, inspiring a lifelong connection to learning, discovery and community,” said Joe Alix, the president of the Judith and Norman Alix Foundation.

The county agreed to take on the 4,800 exhibit collection earlier this year with the goal of building a home for it in the Sarnia library. Stones ‘N Bones closed the downtown location in the beginning of September. That marked the beginning of the county’s work on the museum.

“Our immediate focus is on carefully documenting and packing thousands of specimens while building the community support needed to bring the larger vision to life,” said Andrew Meyer, the county’s deputy CAO and general manager of cultural services in a news release. He called the $500,000 donation from the Alix Foundation “an incredible start” to the work of raising 43.5 million “and demonstrates the impact that community partnerships can have on a project of this scale.”

The county hopes to begin renovations to the Sarnia Library in 2027 to design a library and museum destination, with the Stones ‘N Bones collection incorporated throughout the building and a dedicated museum on the second floor.