Amend, the 31-year-old vice president of Toeniskoetter & Breeding Inc. Development, said he enjoyed taking his 2-year old son, Max, to the museum. Amend saw the museum as a place where children could learn in a hands-on and fun way.

Soon after, Amend completed the San Jose Chamber of Commerce Community Leadership program that encourages business leaders to serve on a nonprofit board, and was looking for nonprofit opportunities.

All signs pointed in the Discovery Museum's direction. Charles Toeniskoetter, T&B's chief executive officer, previously served as the Children's Discovery Museum board president. Company president Brad Krouskup had also served on the board.

Amend got this chance in 2005, when Toeniskoetter introduced him to Connie Martinez, the museum's executive director. After an interview with Martinez and the board president, Amend was selected to serve on the 25-person board, a three-year commitment with a maximum of two terms.

"It's a great group of people. They all share a passion for children and the museum," Amend said.

Amend also serves on the board's programs and exhibits committee. In only a few months, Amend was instrumental in bringing the Art Loft to the Children's Discovery Museum.

The Art Loft will be a 900-square foot, light-filled art studio for children ages 4 to 10. It will be the museum's first dedicated space to visual arts since 1993.

The Art Loft was a great idea that had no financial backing, Amend said. Martinez had first tapped Neil Struthers, chief executive officer of the Building and Construction Trades Council in Santa Clara and San Benito counties. Struthers heads many construction unions in the area and brought together the construction community to make the Art Loft a reality.

Then Martinez turned to Amend. He was able to secure the support of Tony Mirenda, president of TBI Construction & Construction Management, former sister company to Toeniskoetter & Breeding. TBI Construction provided general contracting and supervision for the project.

In all, they created a $260,000 project with donated materials, services and time. The Art Loft will open in February.

"We brought together a very complicated construction project," Amend said. "That was a real coup for the museum."

Art educator Lisa Ellsworth is spearheading the project at the museum. Throughout the project, Ellsworth said Amend's help was invaluable. Not only was he charming and professional to work with, Ellsworth said, but he also got things done. Securing TBI Construction's help was essential, she said.

"Once that happened, it really solidified that we were really going somewhere with the project," Ellsworth said. "We're tremendously excited about the Art Loft. It's going to give kids an opportunity to explore the arts in an informal learning environment."

Amend would like to build on Art Loft's success and use his expertise to advance museum efforts and upgrade the quality of its exhibits.

The museum's goal is to be a destination for every child in the San Jose area, Amend said. Currently, the museum is reaching out to the area's large Vietnamese and Hispanic populations.

In Willow Glen, Amend lives with his wife, Priscilla, and two sons, Max, 2, and Alexander, 2 months old. The family frequently visits the museum, he said.