Philadelphia, PA – Founder and President of The Philadelphia Wax Museum, Robert Avery’s deep appreciation for the rich history of his hometown of Philadelphia and his passion to educate and inspire young people have propelled his dream of opening The Philadelphia Wax Museum.

The Philadelphia Wax Museum, is the first of its kind in the city, it features life-size and life-like wax figures of famous Philadelphians such as Benjamin Franklin, Bill Cosby, Betsy Ross and Will Smith. Avery, who has proudly served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve for 15 years, and also serves as the museum’s Founder and President, said “the goal of the museum is to broaden public gratitude for both famous personalities, past and present unique to The Greater Philadelphia Region and educate people on their great achievements. Ultimately, he hopes the museum will house over 300 wax figures.

“I not only hope to inspire the youth of Philadelphia to seek greatness in their lives, but I also seek to build their sense of city pride,” said Avery. “There are far too many historical events to count that happened in the great city of Philadelphia. Philadelphia is certainly the city of many firsts.”

Avery’s vision began taking shape back in 1997, and he has since aggressively began fundraising, organizing a board of directors and creating a Facebook page to help make the museum a reality. Avery, who served an overseas tour in Operation Enduring Freedom in 2006 and a tour in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2007, officially established the wax museum as 501(c) (3) in 2010 and he hopes to build enough funding to open the museum in 2012.

“Our Facebook fan page, and website will help generate donations, grants and support for such an important undertaking,” said Avery, who is a Traditional Reservist Emergency Manager Craftsman member of the 459th Refueling Wing at Andrew’s Air Base, currently works full time as an Emergency Manager at Joint Base Anacostia Boiling former Boiling Air Force Base and part time in The Pentagon IEOC (Integrated Emergency Operation Center) with PFPA (Pentagon Force Protection Agency) as a CBRNE Shift Operator. “We have several fundraisers planned and 2012 has been a big year for us.”

Ben Yon, who serves on the museum’s board said, “We want to help provide inspiration to today’s and tomorrow’s leaders.”

Avery points out that Philadelphia is the home of an impressive list of military war heroes from the Revolutionary and Civil War, Medal of Honor recipients and the birth place of the U.S. Marine Corps at Tun Tavern. The Philadelphia Wax Museum plans to honor military greats such as George Washington, WWII Air Force Col. Guy Belford, Brig. Gen. Louis H. Carpenter and many others in wax.

“Our museum offers veterans a 30 percent discount on admission,” said Avery, 33. “We hope to honor the sacrifices and contributions war heroes from Philadelphia have made.”

Avery said the best way for people to support the museum is to join its fan list on Facebook. The facebook page is the best place to learn more about upcoming events, see photos of past events and stay informed with current news he said. http://www.facebook.com/thephiladelphiawaxmuseum and to check out the website and sign up for the newsletter at http://www.thephillywaxmuseum.org