School. Work. Parties. Practices. Dinners. Sporting Events. Social Events. Sleepovers. Illnesses. Laundry. Pet Accidents. Cleaning. Traffic. Exhausted yet?
For many of us, the above list describes your week – not your worst week, but perhaps a majority of your weeks. If not everything, we can all identify with at least a part of that list. And while we choose to be present in most of those situations, it’s exhausting, isn’t it?
For our family, the holidays are a time to slow down. We rarely do that – we’re always on the go! But during the holidays we travel to see family and we spend time together. Outside of that, we take time to focus on others. Each year as a family we sit down and purposefully plan out where we can donate to charity, or what causes are in need of our support. For years we have supported Samaritan’s Purse by participating in Operation Christmas Child. That is just one of thousands of charities that could use your help.
You might not think of a zoo as a charity – and maybe compared to organizations like Samaritan’s Purse it isn’t. However, zoos exist in part due to generous support they receive from others. Zoos have a mission to protect wildlife and contribute to conservation efforts across the globe. Today we’d like to encourage you to participate in #GivingTuesday by giving back to zoos and finding a zoo to donate to. While I’m certainly in no position to tell you how to spend your hard earned money, if you’re in a position where you’d like to donate, we can provide some options for you!
Brookfield Zoo is one of many zoos providing some incentive to give on #GivingTuesday. Donations between 8am and 5pm on December 3 will be entered into a raffle for many prizes. Check it out! We hope you decide to make giving back to zoos part of your #GivingTuesday this year!
Ways to donate on #Giving Tuesday:
- Adopt an Animal – this is probably the most common way to donate to Zoos. Most zoos have a page where you can choose which animal you want to adopt – and they’ll send you a plush animal as a thank you. For other zoos, they might have a specific animal that needs extra care, and they’ll send you a postcard or something branded with that animal on it. This is a great way to donate as you know specifically what your money is going towards. Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo is one example of this.
- Donate to a Zoo expansion project – this is another tangible way of seeing your dollars at work. Most zoo expansion projects are based on donations, which is why you’ll frequently see zoo exhibits named after donors. So if your zoo is currently working on an expansion, donating money to that cause can be a great way to see your money turn into something rather quickly. A local example is the Cosley Zoo in Wheaton, IL.
- Donate to a Zoo fund for families that cannot afford Zoo admission – I’ve not personally done this one, but I’m seeing multiple zoos offer this option. Many zoos are near to low income areas, and these programs help children visit a zoo who otherwise wouldn’t be able to. The Great Plains Zoo’s Zoo for All program is one example.
- Donate to help a zoo remain free for visitors – Several zoos charge nothing for admission. This is great, but comes at a cost. These zoos rely on donations to keep the zoo going. Examples include the St. Louis Zoo and the Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison, Wisconsin.
- Donate to Zoo Research – outside of money donated to general zoo funds for upkeep, or money donated to specific animals for care, a donation to research can help zoos launch programs worldwide for continued discovery, or to help medical advancements that will assist animals currently under care. The Dickerson Park Zoo is looking for donations for their animal hospital, as an example.
- Help Restore After Disaster – While I’m sure there are more out there than I realize, a Midwestern Zoo is in preparing to rebuild after a crisis on Thanksgiving. The African Safari Wildlife Park in Port Clinton, Ohio had a fire in one of their barns on November 28. Ten animals passed away during the blaze, while workers were able to save many others. They could really use some help in the form of donations as they look to rebuild what was lost. They’re also establishing a memorial fund to honor the animals who lost their lives in the fire.
Thanks for reading. We hope you decide to make giving back to zoos part of your #GivingTuesday this year! While you’re in the holiday spirit, check out our 2019 Zoo Gift Guide to find the right gift for that person that’s hard to shop for!
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