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Press Releases
2010-01-28 - JOHN BALL ZOO SOCIETY PRESENTS $100,000 TO KENT COUNTY
(Grand Rapids, MI) John Ball Zoo Society will be making it official today when they formally announce the completion of their $100,000 campaign to purchase animal food and medical supplies to the Kent County Board of Commissioners.
When John Ball Zoo Society learned of the serious budget cuts affecting John Ball Zoo, owned and operated by Kent County, they looked for a way to help. Offsetting the Zoo’s annual budget for animal food and medical supplies seemed logical. The County Commission agreed that this support would help stave off the need for an increase in 2010 Zoo admission prices.
On November 13, 2009, the fundraising campaign was launched and in two months the $100,000 goal was met. “We are deeply touched by the outpouring of support we received during this campaign,” said Brenda Stringer, Executive Director of the John Ball Zoo Society. “Friends of the Zoo from all over West Michigan responded quickly and generously. We knew we could count on our community and they certainly came through for us. We truly thank them all.”
The John Ball Zoo Society will continue to look for other ways they can help the Zoo successfully negotiate the budget restrictions in 2010 and 2011. John Ball Zoo Society is the non-profit arm of John Ball Zoological Gardens .
The Zoo will reopen on March 1, 2010.
Contact
For media-related questions, please contact Krys at (616) 336-4374 or by email at kbylund@johnballzoosociety.org.
