For more information, call:
Julie Brellenthin
at 258-2333
November 8, 2004
A few animals are looking for a home for the holidays. You can give a gift sponsorship of Aurora and Borealis, the Zoo’s Alaskan brown bears, and receive two plush-toy bears as part of the gift. Or give someone the chance to visit the bears 365 days a year with a Zoo Pass gift membership. Bears not really your thing? How about moose or jabiru storks? The Zoological Society of Milwaukee (ZSM) offers pewter holiday ornaments of a moose and a stork. In fact, when it comes to gifts that help animals, you’ll find a lot of ideas from the ZSM. There’s a sampling below, but you also can go online at www.zoosociety.org or call the ZSM at (414) 258-2333.
A fun way to shop is at the Zoological Society’s Winter Wonderland during We Energies’ Holiday Night Lights at the Zoo: Dec. 3, 4, 10, 11, 17 or 18. Kids can visit Santa there, too. The animal-themed gifts not only will delight the receiver, but they’ll also benefit the Milwaukee County Zoo’s animals as well as animals in the wild through conservation programs, education efforts and direct financial aid.
1) A gift sponsorship of Aurora & Borealis, the Zoo’s Alaskan brown bears. The $48 sponsorship package ($29 of which is tax-deductible) includes two 13-inch, plush-toy bears; a star-gazer’s kit for looking at the sky’s bear constellations; a certificate of sponsorship; information about bears; an invitation to an exclusive after-hours event at the Zoo for animal sponsors; a year’s subscription to Alive magazine and Wild Things newsletter ; an animal sponsor decal and gift card; and sponsor recognition on the “All in the Family” donor board at the Zoo for a year.
2) Save an Acre today! Join the Zoological Society’s conservation team to protect Runaway Creek Nature Preserve in Belize. You’ll be helping the Foundation for Wildlife Conservation, Inc. (FWC), save this sanctuary. The FWC manages the land in conjunction with the ZSM. For $50 an acre, you will receive: an acre in your choice of five zones; a decorative animal mask/poster; information on Runaway Creek Nature Preserve; a certificate of recognition; and one-year enrollment in the electronic Notes from the Field program. For more details, go to www.zoosociety.org and select Save an Acre.
3) Coffee with a cause: To help support the Runaway Creek Nature Preserve in Belize, the Zoological Society is offering gourmet, fair-trade, organic coffees and teas. The five exclusive custom coffee blends all are named after animals or flowers found on this wildlife preserve: Jaguar Java, Monkey Mudd (named after spider monkeys), Crocodile Creek decaf, Jabiru Brew (named for the jabiru stork), and Passionflower decaf. Coffees are micro-roasted and vacuum-sealed in 1-pound bags in Milwaukee to assure freshness. The four organic Runaway Creek teas are from the Republic of Tea. They are Ceylon Breakfast, Green Earl Greyer, Flowering Fruit Herb, and Mint Fields Herb. To guarantee holiday delivery for coffees and teas, order must be received by Dec. 3, 2004. For details, go to www.zoosociety.org and select Runaway Creek Coffee & Tea.
4) Jabiru stork & moose: P ewter holiday ornaments of either a jabiru stork or a moose are only $14 each. Jabiru storks live in Belize, where the Zoological Society conducts conservation and education programs. Moose live in North America and can be seen on exhibit at the Zoo. This is the 10th year in a row that Port Washington sculptor Andy Schumann has designed the holiday ornaments. You can order individual past ornaments ($14 each) or the whole collection of 13 for $156 and save $26 (limited-time offer).
5) A Zoo Pass gift membership in the Zoological Society starts at $40 for individual memberships. You also can give free parking with a Zoo Pass Plus membership starting at $65. The holiday gift package includes a gift card, information on membership benefits, plus four coupons, each good for one Zoo-attraction ticket, AND a plush-toy animal for new members. This offer is valid through December 31, 2004.
6) For Kids: Get a FREE membership in the Zoological Society’s Kids ‘n Critters Club, which sponsors endangered animals at the Zoo. Send in a Pick’n Save cash-register receipt(s) showing the purchase of five Welch’s products. Or send in $5 plus Pick’n Save receipt(s) showing the purchase of four Welch’s products to receive a year’s membership. The normal club fee is $15 (which itself is a bargain, thanks to sponsorship from Tri City National Bank); registration must be received no later than Dec. 31, 2004. Membership includes free educational workshops; your name on the Kids ‘n Critters Club recognition board; an invitation to a behind-the scenes event at the Zoo in August; the fun-filled Footnotes newsletter four times a year; rewards when you complete the activity sheets; and more. Call Julie Brellenthin, club coordinator, at (414) 258-2333.
7) Gift certificates for individualized Zoo tours given by Zoo Pride volunteers. There are two kinds of tours: 1) $5-per-person, VIP behind-the-scenes tours for ages 15 and up allow you to choose areas of the Zoo you want to learn more about (parts of tour are not wheelchair-accessible). 2) For one to 10 people, you can get a
2 ½-hour guided general walking tour of the Zoo at a cost of $10 per group. Both tours need to be booked three to four weeks in advance and do not include Zoo admission or parking. Children must be with adults responsible for them. (Programs for school groups are done through the Society’s Education Department.) Call the Zoo Pride office at (414) 258-5667.
The Zoological Society will begin mailing holiday gifts after the Thanksgiving holiday, unless otherwise requested. To guarantee holiday delivery via the mail, they need to receive orders by Dec. 15, 2004 (or by Dec. 3 for coffees and teas).
###
