Four Sandy Spring Museum supporters stand outside the museum.

SEPTEMBER 16

Founders’ Day 2026

Celebrate Sandy Spring Museum’s history and help carry its work in cultural heritage and community connection forward.

Support Founders’ Day

Why Founders’ Day Matters

Sandy Spring Museum community members gather around a cake at the museum’s 25th anniversary celebration.

Founders Day is Sandy Spring Museum’s one day a year to rally the whole community, and our goal is simple: as many gifts as possible, of any size, before the day ends.

Every gift keeps this museum doing work that matters: preserving history that deserves to be remembered, the celebrated stories and the ones too often left out, and connecting neighbors who don’t always find reason to connect.

It also gives you something back: belonging. As author Brené Brown puts it, belonging is “being somewhere you want to be, and they want you”. That’s rare these days, and it’s exactly what Founders Day offers.

You can get us started with a donation today.

Support Founders’ Day

Already gave? Thank you. Now invite a friend to join you. Founders Day isn’t just about funding a mission; it’s about belonging to one.

A presenter speaks at Sandy Spring Museum’s first meeting in Delmas in 1980.
Community members gather for a Sandy Spring Museum meeting in 1982.
Secretary Margie Cook and President Willard Derrick in a 1976 newspaper photograph.
Drummers perform in the Sandy Spring Museum courtyard during the Strawberry Festival.
Visitors gather outside Sandy Spring Museum during the Strawberry Festival.
A performer in a colorful costume at the Strawberry Festival.

Founders’ Day Stories

Current News & Museum Updates
Willow Grove: A Game changer for Our Community Partners
Willow Grove: A Game changer for Our Community Partners

When Cultura Plenera first began using Willow Grove, they saw a great new space for workshops, rehearsals, and programs. What they quickly discovered was something even more valuable: freedom, flexibility, and a true sense of ownership.

Read more →
A Story 46 Years in the Making, and It Needs You to Write the Next Chapter
A Story 46 Years in the Making, and It Needs You to Write the Next Chapter

On September 16, 1981, a small group of neighbors sat down in a room together and did something quietly radical: they decided that the stories of our community, the everyday ones, the ones that don't usually make it into history books, were worth saving.

Read more →
Why Founders’ Day Matters
Why Founders’ Day Matters

I’ve spent most of my career as a fundraiser, and I’ve coached a lot of people who were terrified of asking for support. There’s a cultural bias many of us carry, one I understand completely, that asking for a gift means asking someone to give and get nothing back. It’s not true. It never has been.

Read more →
Support Founders’ Day

Make your Founders’ Day profile photo

Choose a square or portrait photo, position it inside the frame, then download your finished image for Facebook.

Drag directly on the photo to move it up, down, left, or right. Keyboard users can focus the preview and use the arrow keys; hold Shift for larger moves.

1. Choose your photo
Zoom out100%Zoom in
3. Save your image

Private by design: your photo stays on this device. It is not uploaded to Sandy Spring Museum or Squarespace.

Choose a photo to begin.

How long should I use my Founders’ Day profile photo?

Even one day is enough to show your support, and Facebook makes it easy. After uploading your finished image, choose Make Temporary, select 1 day, and save. Facebook will automatically restore your previous profile photo after 24 hours.

Want to celebrate with us a little longer? Keep your Founders’ Day profile photo through September 16. Afterward, we’ll send an email and share a social media post thanking everyone who participated and letting you know it’s time to switch back. If you’re not already on our email list, sign up here so we can remind you.