posted 11-13-2008 08:50 AM               

Apollo 13 astronaut and Biloxi native Fred Haise will turn 75 on Friday with his dream of building the Infinity Science Center in Hancock County still unrealized.

America, we have a problem, and Americans, we are going to solve it - $2 at a time.

Today starts the $2 Our Hero campaign. To get Infinity built, the campaign calls for 2 million Americans to donate $2 each.

"That would be unbelievable," Haise said Monday when he learned of the campaign. If $4 million in private donations can be raised, the Infinity board has corporations that will match the donations so "$4 million gets $8 million," Haise said.

This fundraising campaign has nothing to do with the South or the North, the red states or blue states. It has everything to do with the red, white and blue, with honoring a hero and making his dream come true.

Haise said it isn't just his dream, "it's the dream of a lot of teachers." The center will be built just west of the Mississippi Welcome Center off Interstate 10 and children who didn't grow up watching the moon walks and shuttle landings, and their parents who did, can share the journey. There will also be exhibits on the environment and the oceans, as well as a National Hurricane Museum.

• Drop off their $2 at any Hancock Bank or People's Bank across the Coast.

• Donate by credit card through the Infinity Science Center website, where an e-mail receipt will be provided.

• Send a check or $2 cash to the Infinity Science Center Inc., Building 1105, Room F 605N, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529