KCCO & You...

Join KCCO

KCCO is run entirely by volunteers. If you would like to volunteer, please let any of the staff there know or contact us. Requirements: You are interested in astronomy, mature enough to run the scopes, you like people, and can stay focused on assisting the public during your time there.

You can also join our Observatory message group to receive e-mail updates about astronomy, ask questions to the volunteers etc...

Support

The observatory is not paid for by the city of Chico or the university. It was founded by the Kiwanis club of Greater Chico, and is maintained by the generosity of the local community. At the Chico Community Observatory we want your family to have the experience of a lifetime. If we can make the observatory better in any way, we will. The observatory is a non-profit organization, but some funding is needed in order to maintain and improve the observatory.

Ways to Donate

Although access to the observatory is free to the public, we do take donations. There is a small donations box just as you walk into the observatory by the guest book. The donations from this box primarily go to maintenance of the building: paper towels, cleaning materials, guest books, light bulbs, etc.

Whenever work needs to be done on the observatory, we can use all the help we can get. You can also donate to the observatory by contacting us to see if we currently need help with any projects. This is an excellent way to get community service hours if you are in junior high or high school, and colleges and employers look well on applicants who have volunteered time in the community.

Another way to donate is to sponsor one of the plaques on the Messier wall. They can be sponsored for a donation of $500 or more. Your name or business name is then engraved below the plaque. This is a great way to advertise a business. It can also be a wonderful present to a loved one. If you are interested in sponsoring a Messier object or donating in another way, you cancontact us.

Remember, any donation you can give us will help the observatory! Thanks for your generosity.