January-March 2014 volume 16, number 1 Como Insider A Publication of Como Friends Get Closer at Como Behind the scenes at Minnesota's favorite education destination inside Making the Case for Como Make Way For Baby: A Giraffe Is Born como friends Inside this issue TOGETHER WE GROW 1225 Estabrook Drive • St. Paul, MN 55103 651-487-8229 • www.comofriends.org [email protected] Family-friendly, fright-free ZooBoo was a hit with young families Como Friends is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to inspire community Como Friends Profile: Peter Everett generosity to advance Como Park Zoo and Conservatory as a destination where people from all walks of life can gather, learn and 3-5 enjoy the natural world. Como News and Events President: Board Members: Bill Kaphing Jackie Sticha Diana Allen Greg McNeely Sheila Brown Nicky Nagle Board of Directors: Arta Cheney Joe Nayquonabe Chair: Jennifer Denys Nancy Nelson Anne Hazelroth Field Scott Dongoske Marla Ordway Vice Chair: Peter Everett Lynette Palmgren Making the Case: Nancy Nelson Michelle Furrer Bill Parker Treasurer: Advocacy efforts have become a Anne Hazelroth Field Wendy Rubin Tom Hodnefield Laura Fries Kathleen Schubert growing part of Como Friends' mission Secretary: David Gabel Peter Thrane Jackie Sticha 6-8 Mike Hahm Advocating for Como Tom Hodnefield Robert Hoke Jennifer Huelsmann 1 A partnership with the Autism Society 1225 Estabrook Drive • St. Paul, MN 55103 of Minnesota gives kids fresh skills in www.comozooconservatory.org The mission of How to reach us conservation and conversation Como Park Zoo and Conservatory's mission is to 24-hour information: inspire our public to value the presence of 651-487-8200 9 living things in our lives. Education Partners Visitor Services: Como is open every day of the year! 651-487-8201 Winter Hours (October 1 – March 1) 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Education Department: 651-487-8272 Summer Hours (April 1 – September 30) 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Garden Safari Gifts: 651-487-8222 Membership & Donations: 651-487-8229 Rentals: Como Park Zoo and Conservatory is accredited by the 651-487-8250 Learn how Como Zoo welcomed Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Look for the Volunteer Services: a 5 foot 8 inch newborn AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your 651-487-8252 assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to Director of Parks and 10-11 providing excellent care for animals, a great experience Recreation: Mike Hahm Zoo Baby: Rosie the Giraffe for you, and a better future for all living things. Como Insider Graphic Design: Matt Wehner Editor: Laura Billings Coleman The Como Insider is The American Association of Botanical Gardens and printed by Dolan Printing Gifts that celebrate The Ordway Arboreta (APGA) serves and strengthens public gardens on Recycled paper. throughout North America by supporting and promoting first winter season Garden's their work, value and achievements in horticultural 12 display, education, research and plant conservation. Garden Safari Gifts 2 Como Insider | January - March 2014 “This year, we were really pleased to hear how much our families like the changes we’ve made to ZooBoo over the last few years, with more interactive stations that encourage kids to move and play, not to mention the Cider and Coffee House which gives parents and grandparents a nice place to take a break,” says Caroline Mehlhop, Como Friends’ Director of Sponsorships and Events. “Our zookeepers and education staff also did a great job of introducing our ZooBoo visitors to the animal ambas- sadors that stopped by in the Visitor Center.” Costumed for Como: Families Enjoy ZooBoo Updates Collecting donations for ZooBoo treat bags is a year-round effort at Como Thanks to the more than 15,000 ticket- Friends. Call Caroline at 651-487-8235 if buying trick or treaters who helped your business or workplace has healthy raise more than $60,000 to benefit treats or child-friendly toys you’d like to Como Park Zoo and Conservatory at contribute to the cause. ZooBoo in October. ZooBoo at Como Zoo Join Como Friends for a Members-Only Preview of the Winter Carnival Orchid Show Como Loves Members Say goodbye to King Boreas and feel advance, as horticulturists look ahead the heat of the tropics at the Winter to predict which plants will be in top Carnival Orchid Show January 25th form for the judges of the American and 26th at the Marjorie McNeely Con- Orchid Society. servatory. The show, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this month, is the Admission to the event is $5 per region’s largest display of privately person, but if you’re a Como Friends held orchids owned by members of the member, join us for a special members- Minnesota Orchid Society. Planning to only preview on Sunday, January 26 at pick the best and brightest bloomers 9 a.m. Call 651.487.8229 to RSVP. Coffee among Como’s 1,800-plant collection of and Donuts will be served. Bring your orchids begins more than six months in member card or join on-site! 3 Bouquets, Como Friends’ long-running wine, beer and food benefit, won’t be returning in December 2014—but it will come back into bloom a few months A Change for Bouquets later in February 2015. “Bouquets” wine and beer “Just like the plants in the Conserva- fundraiser tory, we decided that after nearly a to rebloom decade of scheduling Bouquets in De- February 2015 cember it was time to ‘repot’ the event into late winter,” says Jackie Sticha, president of Como Friends. Though the popular wine-tasting fundraiser typi- cally sells out, a recent survey of sup- porters found that a majority of Como Friends’ guests would prefer to come to the event in February, as a chance to unwind after the busy holiday season. The new schedule will also allow guests to glimpse the colorful Winter Flower Show in the Sunken Garden, which runs this year through March 16. Watch your mailbox and Como Promo, our e-newsletter, for more about Bou- quets and other benefits to support Como Park Zoo and Conservatory. And thanks to the sold-out crowd of 400 guests at the 2013 Bouquets who helped Como Friends raise more than $10,000 to benefit Como Park Zoo and Conser- vatory. 4 Como Insider | January - March 2014 DONOR PROFILE COMO FRIENDS’ PROFILE: PETER EVERETT When Peter Everett and his wife, Katie Gates, lived in Paris, neapolis, Edina, and St. Louis Park, because it’s so easy to they made frequent trips to the Menagerie du Jardins des get to and enjoy with small children, who may have a short Plantes, the famous urban zoo founded in the wake of the attention span. That was one of the things we shared with French Revolution. “It was in the center of the city, so you legislators last year at the capitol, is just how popular Como could just take a short metro ride and have access to this is with families from across the metro area. People think of it fun and fascinating place,” says Everett, who saw the same as a St. Paul destination, but it’s really a statewide resource. qualities at Como Park Zoo and Conservatory when his fam- ily returned to the Twin Cities, where Everett serves as a mar- Making the case for Como with Minnesota lawmakers has keting director at General Mills. Now one of the 24 members become a part of the mission at Como Friends, where the of Como Friends’ board of directors, Everett recently talked board recently adopted advocacy efforts as part of a new to Como Insider about why he and his family choose to sup- strategic plan. Why is advocating for Como important? port Como Park Zoo and Conservatory. The core of Como Friends is about a public-private partner- ship, and we have a stronger effect when we’re all working What do you like most, the Zoo or Conservatory? together. With private contributions, Como Friends has We’ve really enjoyed the events we’ve been to at the Con- funded some great capital improvements, while a lot of the servatory, like the opening of The Ordway Gardens and the ongoing daily costs are funded on the public side, and I Bouquets winetasting fundraiser. But we have a five-year-old think that’s a really cool model for a cultural institution. Pub- daughter, Marit, and a two-year-old son, Thomas, so we’re lic funding for improvements like Gorilla Forest is also really most definitely zoo visitors. critical, but we’re also competing with lots of other priorities at a statewide level. That’s why we want people to under- Young families are Como’s favorite demographic. As a stand that Como is the number one cultural institution in the father, what do you think makes Como Zoo so compelling state, and that two million people come through here every to kids? year, so they understand what a treasure it is. The squeaky It’s the ability to see and be close to animals that you might wheel gets the grease, I suppose, and if we don’t tell that never otherwise get to see. My little guy loves Gorilla For- story, we’re not going to get the support Como deserves. est and just being that close to the orangutans and the saki monkeys is a great experience for him. And at a member Como is free every day of the year, so why do you tell event, my daughter got a chance to feed a giraffe.