Cynthia has many connections to Wonderworks Children’s Museum, one beginning over 30 years ago as a Wonderworks kid herself! Growing up in The Dalles, she would attend the museum at the various locations in The Dalles with her younger brother, and even participated on several of the floats that Wonderworks entered into the Cherry Festival and Fort Dalles Days parades. “I have very fond memories of playing and learning at Wonderworks, an experience that I want for my own children.”
After high school, Cynthia left The Dalles to attend Washington State University where she graduated with a degree in Human/Child Development. She returned to the amazing Columbia River Gorge in 1998 to marry another Wonderworks kid, Jeff Kortge and began working at Great ‘n Small Child Development Center. There she taught preschool for several years while starting her own family and now has two children, Cole (10) and Hannah (7) who both spent many hours at the Wonderworks Playstation. Cynthia’s career changed a bit in 2005 when she went from working with little people at Great ‘n Small to teaching and facilitating MCMC University, a comprehensive training program for big people at Mid- Columbia Medical Center. As she worked full time, Cynthia remained connected to Wonderworks thru occasional volunteering and assistance with special events and when the opportunity arose to leave employment behind in 2010, she was excited to have renewed energy and focus to give back to this amazing community asset. “I am thrilled to be part of this community of committed mothers and fathers that have been pursuing this dream of a permaneant home for Wonderworks for so many years. The opportunity to continue this work and make this dream a final reality is exhilarating. I am looking forward to helping Wonderworks make a lasting impression in the Columbia River Gorge for another 30 years”. When she is not raising funds for Wonderworks, Cynthia loves to spend time fishing and boating at their family cabin, assisting her husband on their wheat ranch and taking care of her chickens.
“I wonder how many stars there are in the universe?”
— Harry, 6 years