David J. Sencer CDC Museum Joins Smithsonian Magazine’s National Museum Day Live! Free Admission for All Participants

Clarkston, 2009, Bryan Meltz

Atlanta — On Saturday, September 26, 2015, the David J. Sencer CDC Museum at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, will open its doors from 10 am to 4 pm, as part of Smithsonian magazine’s eleventh annual Museum Day Live! event.

On this day only, participating museums across the United States emulate the spirit of the Smithsonian Institution’s Washington DC-based facilities, which offer free admission every day, and open their doors for free to those who download a Museum Day Live! ticket. The David J. Sencer CDC Museum is always free to the public, so no ticket is necessary.

“We are excited to be participating again in Museum Day Live!” said Judy M. Gantt, director, of the David J. Sencer CDC Museum.  “This is a great opportunity for us to demonstrate through our exhibitions how, for more than half a century, CDC has been protecting America’s health, safety, and security.”

The David J. Sencer CDC Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate, educates visitors about the value of protecting the public’s health, as well as presenting the rich heritage and vast accomplishments of CDC. The museum hosts more than 90,000 visitors each year and provides popular educational programs for students and teachers. Now on view is The Story of CDC permanent exhibition; the temporary exhibition Resettling in America: Georgia’s Refugee Communities; and the opening of a new photography exhibition, Working Together. Defeating Ebola, which documents CDC’s work and the support of donors to the CDC Foundation during the ongoing epidemic in West Africa.

At 1:00 pm, a special presentation by former refugee Derreck Kayongo will take place in the museum lobby. Derrek fled civil war in Uganda and was a refugee in Kenya before coming to America. He is the founder of the Global Soap Project, an organization that recycles discarded soap from hotels and reprocesses it for distribution to vulnerable populations around the globe. Derreck will read excerpts from a work-in-progress, a play called Idi Amin, America and a Bar of Soap.

For more information about Museum Day Live! 2015 and a full list of participating museums and cultural institutions, please visit Smithsonian.com/museumday.

** Please note that the David J. Sencer CDC Museum does not require a ticket for entry.

About Smithsonian Media

Smithsonian Media comprises of its flagship publication, Smithsonian magazine, as well as Air & Space, Smithsonian Books, and the Smithsonian Media Digital Network. Smithsonian Media overseas the Smithsonian Institution’s interest in the Smithsonian Channel, a joint venture between the Smithsonian Institution and DBS/Showtime.  Smithsonian Media is a division of Smithsonian Enterprises, the revenue-generating business unit of the Smithsonian Institution. The Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum and research complex consisting of 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoological Park and nine research facilities. Approximately 30 million people from around the world visit the museums annually.

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES