50 Years of Fun: The Next Chapter
Imagination Ball 2026
A 50th Birthday Celebration, Powered by Play
Thursday, October 22, 2026 | 6:00pm – 9:00pm
4231 Avenue of the Republic, Philadelphia
Exclusively for Adults
Playful Attire, Dancing Sneakers
Honorary Co-Chairs: Ambassador David L. Cohen (ret) and Rhonda R. Cohen
Co-Chairs: Anne Hamilton, Sue Martinelli Shea, Jennifer & Steve Shea, and Abby & Kyle Ryan
Come Play!
Join us for Imagination Ball 2026, Please Touch Museum’s annual fundraising gala and a special celebration of our 50th birthday. For one unforgettable evening, the Museum will transform into an imaginative playground for grown-ups, filled with immersive entertainment, interactive experiences, carousel rides, dinner, dancing and plenty of unexpected moments of fun.
Celebrate the people and ideas that shaped the Museum’s first 50 years while looking ahead to what comes next. Explore the Museum after hours, encounter characters and experiences throughout our galleries, create something of your own, and — for the first time at Imagination Ball — hit the dance floor.
30% of Please Touch Museum visitors attend through free or reduced-price admission programs.
Imagination Ball supports our commitment to making the joy and learning of play accessible to children and families throughout our community. Your ticket, sponsorship or donation helps expand access, sustain the experiences families love and ensure more children can experience the joy, imagination and possibility that play inspires.
An Evening Powered by Play
Dinner, Dancing & Dessert
For the first time at Imagination Ball, a dance floor will make its debut in South Foyer. Bring your dancing sneakers for dinner, music, dancing and a playful dessert finale.
Stories Come to Life
The Philadelphia Live Action Roleplay Society will fill the Museum with interactive characters, theatrical encounters and playful surprises that invite guests to explore and discover.
Poetry Made Just for You
Marshall James Kavanaugh, Poet for Hire, will create personalized poems on his typewriter. Guests can also add their visions for the future to the collaborative “Dream Here Now!” community poem.
Play After Hours
Ride the carousel, explore the Museum after hours and discover selections from our historic collection of toys and memorabilia celebrating 50 years of play.
Honoring Two Visionary Leaders
At this year’s Imagination Ball, Please Touch Museum will honor two visionary leaders whose work shaped our first 50 years and established its enduring commitment to learning through play, accessibility, and inclusion.
Portia Sperr
Founder, Please touch museum
Montessori educator Portia Sperr founded Please Touch Museum in 1976, a decade after founding the Greene Towne Montessori School in Philadelphia. She served as the Museum’s Executive Director through 1988.
Under her leadership, the Museum became one of Philadelphia’s most beloved cultural institutions. Its emphasis on play-based learning, accessibility, and inclusion directly reflects Portia’s educational philosophy and her belief that every child deserves an environment that respects their curiosity and potential.
Portia’s educational philosophy and her belief that every child deserves an environment that respects their curiosity and potential. Portia’s visionary leadership, and her ability to inspire a community to help realize it, has created a lasting legacy that spans education, culture and civic life.
Nancy Kolb
President Emeritus, Please touch museum
After a decade at the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Nancy Kolb took the helm at Please Touch Museum in 1988.
During Nancy’s 21 years as President and CEO, the Museum grew significantly and emerged as a leader in early childhood learning. In 2005, the Museum signed a lease to make historic Memorial Hall its new home. Following extensive renovations, the Museum opened its doors there in October 2008.
Upon Nancy’s retirement in 2009, the Museum’s Board unanimously named her President Emeritus.
Evening Program
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2026
6:00
pm
Cocktails & Play
Enjoy cocktails, carousel rides and playful experiences throughout the Museum, with welcome remarks from Museum leadership and Host Committee Co-Chairs.
6:00pm - 7:00pm
7:00
pm
Dinner & Entertainment
Dinner and entertainment featuring the Philadelphia Live Action Roleplay Society, Marshall James Kavanaugh, Poet for Hire, DJ and dancing, carousel rides and interactive experiences throughout the Museum.
7:00pm - 8:15pm
8:15
pm
Dessert & The Next Chapter
Enjoy a playful dessert finale and a peek into the future of Please Touch Museum.
8:15pm - 9:00pm
Host Committee
Honorary Co-Chairs
Ambassador David L. Cohen (ret) & Rhonda R. Cohen
Co-Chairs
Anne Hamilton
Sue Martinelli Shea
Jennifer & Steve Shea
Abby & Kyle Ryan
Host Committee
Hallee and David Adelman
Peter and Clare Bastian
Fritz and Heather Bittenbender
The Carrochi Family
Liza Cartmell and Paul Zoubek
Sharon and Kevin Coghlan
Meg and Antelo Devereux
Diana T. Eidenshink
Ashley and Danny Govberg
Melissa Grimm
Gie and Lisa Liem
Laurie and Sam Marshall
Elizabeth Murphy
Beth Rohlfing and Dick Tewksbury
Caroline B. Rogers
Jay H. and Susie J. Shah
Kristina and Andy Shea
Darren Spielman and Liza M. Rodriguez
Daniel and Heather Sobol
Sally Stetson
Ally and Ian Street
Tom and Anne Toscani
Rick and Alana Tosti
Kyle Westphal
Robin and Jerry Williams
With Gratitude
We gratefully recognize the generous sponsors making Imagination Ball 2026 possible.
Vision | $50,000
Anne and Matt Hamilton and the Hamilton Family Charitable Trust
The Martinelli Shea Family
Anonymous Donor
Anonymous Donor
Dream | $25,000
Ambassador David L. Cohen (ret) and Rhonda R. Cohen
Jessie G.S. Simpson Trust
Imagination | $15,000
Sharon and Kevin Coghlan
Leigh and John Middleton
Shelton Mercer III
Play | $10,000
Liza Cartmell and Paul Zoubek
Lisa Clark and David Haas
Meg and Antelo Devereux
Crawford Hamilton
Nancy and Roy Kolb
Christyn and Jason Poore
Abby and Kyle Ryan
Jay H. and Susie J. Shah
Constance and Sankey Williams
Anonymous Donor
Wonder | $5,000
Lynda Barness
Burke Family Foundation
Ashley and Danny Govberg
Sarah Hall
Meghan and Ben Johnson – Bank of America | Merrill Lynch
Dr. Barbara Klock and Salem Shuchman
Dr. Orcel Kounga and Mrs. Molly Tiedeken Kounga
Michael and Colleen Kusy
Laurie and Sam Marshall
The McNichol Family
Caroline B. Rogers
Sally Stetson
Daniel and Heather Sobol
Luis A. Torres
Timothy and Jennifer Vecchiarelli
Kyle Westphal
Anonymous Donor
Curiosity | $2,500
Elsa and Andrew Armstrong
Athena Global Advisors
Ballard Spahr LLP
Carmichael Lynch
The Carrochi Family
Connelly Foundation
CTN Solutions
DiBona Family Foundation
Gabriel Deck
Gallagher
GIANT
Karen Griffith Gryga (Sweeney) and Mark Sweeney
Carole Haas Gravagno
Nathaniel and Shaina Hamilton
Laurie and Maury Harris
Mr. and Mrs. D. Christopher Le Vine
Neubauer Family Foundation
Susan and Walter Buckley
The Tuli Family
Western Alliance Bank
Robin and Jerry Williams
Friend | $1,000
Anago Cleaning Systems
AR Spruce
Laura and Tripp Bailey
Peter and Clare Bastian
Lynn Biondi and Brian Cunningham
Fritz and Heather Bittenbender
Mr. and Mrs. David Boreanaz
Diana Eidenshink and Family
Ashley and Douglas Hallett
Hanlon Creative
HTMLawyers, Inc.
Knapp Masonry
The Kolb-Grove-Bigham Family
Major Media LLC
MidAtlantic FX
Mill Property Services
Elizabeth Murphy
Tara and Owen Murphy
Beth Rohlfing and Dick Tewksbury
Rome Advisory | Mergers & Acquisitions
Ann C. Snyder
Darren Spielman and Liza M. Rodriguez
Ally and Ian Street
Ginny and Jason Susini
Julia and Todd Tewksbury
Tom and Anne Toscani
Rick and Alana Tosti
USI Insurance Services
Visit Philadelphia
Withum
Join the celebration!
Contact us
Questions about sponsorships or program book opportunities? Please contact
imaginationball@pleasetouchmuseum.org.