Vancouver, WA USA — Kjer and Kaya Galbraith said they were shocked at news that Pearson Air Museum closed this week — so shocked that the two teens, ages 16 and 14, respectively, decided to do something about it.
The kids, who have volunteered at the museum for the past three years, put together a petition that they plan to send to Washington’s congressional delegation with hopes that it can be used to help reopen the facility, they said.
“We’re just collecting signatures right now, and we’re going to see where it goes,” Kjer said. “There is a lot of love for this museum.”
As a volunteer, Kjer ran the flight simulation room for the museum and has met a lot of other teens during his time there, he said.
“We had lots of school groups coming through,” he said. “It was a valuable learning opportunity.”
Kjer and Kaya, who are home-schooled, said they feel a tremendous loss in the museum’s closure.
“It’s like a second home and you have a second family,” Kaya said. “Everyone is really nice.”
The museum shut down Wednesday as conflicts came to a head between the National Park Service, which owns the land and building, and the Fort Vancouver National Trust, which has operated the museum for the city of Vancouver for several years.
Read more: http://www.columbian.com/news/2013/feb/08/teens-start-petition-for-air-museum/