As the shortest days of the year approach, we have so many reasons to be grateful, even while this holiday season may be different than in years past. I am very thankful to those who love the Zoo and support its mission – from members to volunteers to donors to Zoo colleagues and friends, trustees, conservation partners and many more. Just as it is in nature, diversity is essential to the success of the zoo. Together, we thrive.
This season is about thanks, and it’s also about giving. One gift that the Zoo is giving our community is the gift of enhanced sustainability. Our food service and concessions at the Zoo are going plastic-free, part of our commitment to a cleaner environment and a healthier future.
Another exciting gift is the return of our bird and botanical walks for members, a benefit we’re delighted to reinstate.
While you contemplate gift-giving this season, please keep the Zoo in your thoughts. At the beginning of October, GLAZA launched its fall annual fund campaign. With a goal of $100,000 to be raised by December 31, we are already 29 percent funded. Or you could share the Zoo with family and friends through a gift of membership and receive 10 percent off any membership level now through December 31. See your November Zooscape email for the discount code.
Whether through charitable giving or membership, your gift makes a crucial difference as an investment in the future of GLAZA and your Los Angeles Zoo. You can help ensure that future generations will experience the joy of wild things and wild places – what a gift to our community!
This October, our colleague Genie Vasels, who oversaw GLAZA’s fundraising efforts for 22 years, retired from her role as Vice President of Institutional Advancement. We cherish the many gifts she shared with us over the years, and now we’re giving her one in return. GLAZA Trustees Brian Diamond, Beth Price, Rich Lichtenstein, Jennifer Wieland, and I made donations to the Zoo’s animal naming program to name a ring-tail lemur in Genie’s honor. Ring-tail lemurs are beautiful creatures, so this seemed a fitting tribute to someone who so beautifully shared her passion for the Zoo, its mission, and its animals for so many years. If you’d like to give someone a very special gift this holiday season, please consider the many animal naming options.
For more ways to make the Zoo part of your gift-giving, look for our Holiday Gift Guide on our website. Have a beautiful and safe holiday season!
