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The Plastek Group, Hamlet Manufacturing Division, has made a $25,000 gift to the comprehensive capital campaign of Discovery Place KIDS–Rockingham. The gift follows the announcement last month that the new children’s museum will officially open to the public Feb. 23, 2013, offering developmentally-appropriate activities for children ages 0–10 that encourage imagination, exploration and creativity.

“We are honored to assist in helping make Discovery Place KIDS–Rockingham a reality,” said Joe Prischak, chairman of the board, The Plastek Group. “With a manufacturing plant in Hamlet, we are part of this region and look forward to having an educational facility for our employees to take their families. We strive to build strong relationships with the communities in which we work and are excited to present this gift to the museum.”

“The energy here is electric as we move toward the opening of the museum and The Plastek Group’s gift is an added spark,” said Neal Cadieu, campaign co-chair, Discovery Place KIDS–Rockingham. “We are so moved by their generosity and commitment to invest in our future generation.”

The Plastek Group’s gift will be used to support the overall museum needs including renovation of the facility, exhibition design, ScienceReach program outreach, admission subsidy for the underserved, and long-term support for exhibition upgrades and maintenance.

As one of the industry leaders in the design and manufacturing of consumer packaging and personal care products, The Plastek Group currently supplies more than 80 percent of the oval deodorant stick containers produced in the non-captive U.S. market and was a pioneer in the development of the first line of clear gel, anti-perspirant packages released in North America.

Founded in 1971 in Erie, P.A. by Joe Prischak and two partners as a complement to their long-running successful Triangle Tool Company, The Plastek Group expanded the business into the plastics field with a focus on commitment to client satisfaction. Since that time they have earned molding business from customers such as AMP, Eastman Kodak, IBM, RCA Burroughs, Burndy and Polaroid. Prischak purchased his partners’ shares of the business in 1983 and grew it from a handful of workers to more than 2,000 employees. Locally, The Plastek Group, Hamlet Manufacturing Division is led by plant manager, Steve Ulrich.

The Discovery Place KIDS-Rockingham campaign was initiated with a commitment of $6.6 million from the Cole Foundation and the Richmond Community Foundation, gifts that were facilitated by The Foundation For The Carolinas.

Discovery Place KIDS–Rockingham will offer creative learning-through-play experiences for children and their caregivers that help children develop cognitive, motor, language, social and critical thinking skills while trying new things.

For more information visit rockingham.discoveryplacekids.org.