In the holiday spirit of giving, the Roosevelt Park Zoo was the grand recipient of a generous gift from Minot Guaranty and Escrow and the zoo didn't have to wait until Christmas morning to open the present.
Wednesday morning, Paula Bachmeier, senior vice-president for Minot Guaranty and Escrow, presented a check for $5,000 to the Roosevelt Park Zoo at the newly reconstructed education building. Jennifer Fry, education coordinator for the zoo, accepted the gift and said the money would go to the Greater Minot Zoological Society and to be used for the benefit of the zoo.
Additionally, Minot Guaranty and Escrow will give similar donations of $5,000 each to the Burlington Recreation Commission for repair of the Old Settlers Park and to Hope Village. "Our company likes to give back to the community and we knew the zoo needed some help, so we decided to help the zoo," Bachmeier said.
Article Photos
Jill Hambek/MDN
Jennifer Fry, education coordinator for the Roosevelt Park Zoo, and Paula Bachmeier, senior vice-president for Minot Guaranty and Escrow, pose for a photo Wednesday morning in the new zoological building. Minot Guaranty and Escrow gave a gift of $5,000 to the Roosevelt Park Zoo. The proceeds will go toward expanding the zoo and its services.
The gift from Minot Guaranty and Escrow came as a complete, but nice, surprise to the Roosevelt Park Zoo staff, Fry said. Bachmeier just called the zoo, she explained, and said she wanted to give to a place that would benefit a lot of people in the community and the zoo is one of those places. "The zoo is enjoyable for everyone," she said. "Just like the Burlington Recreation Commission because 700 kids participate in their baseball program in the summer."
"The zoo and the Greater Minot Zoological Society are very grateful," Fry said. "Because of their support and the support from the community, we'll be able to make the zoo opening possible this year." The Roosevelt Park Zoo is planning to open in spring of 2013 after a two-year hiatus due to heavy and extensive damage from the 2011 flood.
"My hope is that someone else will get the idea to give to places like the zoo that benefit the entire community," Bachmeier said.
It's through donations like this that will help the zoo expand, Fry said. "We are looking at ways to expand the zoo and our services so the money will go into the pot for other such services."