celebrating 10 monumental years in the community, the maine discovery museum was named nonprofit of the year in 2012 by the bangor region chamber of commerce. also in 2012, mdm was chosen as the grand marshal of the city's historic independence day parade and celebration and as well, launched its capital campaign. mdm has been recognized as a leader in science education and the encouragement of maine's children to explore and learn in hands-on ways. by providing winter and summer camps, daily art, science and math discovery programming as well as a free friday program, mdm seeks to be a strong voice in children's education and engagement. made possible by a grant from the stephen & tabitha king foundation, mdm opens its doors and all three floors four times a year for a free friday program which allows everyone; members and general museum goers, to experience the museum for these quarterly free after hours events. with a strong history of collaborating with many other area nonprofits such as the penobscot theatre company, bangor book festival, bangor symphony orchestra, american folk festival, kahbang arts, and spruce run; the museum has taken on a leadership role in the development of the community. mdm is also a member of bangor arts, a group that strives to support the ever evolving arts and cultural scene in the bangor region.