Habitat 38 Fall 2014

detroitzoo.org • HABITAT | 15 dzoo.org/support  suppor t PHOTO BY JENNIE MILLER Giving even a small amount every month adds up in a big way. Your monthly donation helps the Detroit Zoo year-round by providing a steady revenue stream for the Zoo’s critical activities and programs. This cost-effective and paper-free way to give ensures that your donation makes the maximum impact on the Zoo’s animals and their environments. With monthly giving, you specify the amount you want charged to your credit card. That makes this program the “greenest” way to donate. It eliminates the need for checks and reduces administrative and fundraising costs—so your donation goes further in supporting our animals! Benefits to being a sustainer: • Satisfaction in providing a reliable, consistent source of support for the Detroit Zoo and helping to cover monthly costs, such as feeding our 3,000+ animals. • Smaller gifts add up quickly for the Zoo! Donate as little as $5 a month. • Its’ safe, convenient and efficient – lower administrative costs mean even more of your donation goes directly to animal care, conservation and education programs at the Zoo. • It’s 100% tax deductible – a summary of your donations will be sent at the end of December each year. • Peace of mind in knowing that your giving to the Zoo won’t be interrupted – no reminder letters or phone calls. Help conserve the planet by signing up online to give by credit card each month. It’s safe and secure and you can cancel or change your pledge at any time. Your gift will renew annually; you can change your gift amount or opt-out by contacting the Development office at (248) 336-5639. Set up your monthly gift today at dzoo.org/give. Leave Your Own Mark on the Polk Penguin Conservation Center Icebreaking for the future Polk Penguin Conservation Center (PPCC) was held on June 17. The event marked the beginning of an 18-month development period for the largest project the Detroit Zoo has ever undertaken. Detroit Zoological Society Executive Director and CEO Ron Kagan and Vice Chairman Stephen Polk – whose family donated the $10 million lead gift for the project – swung ice axes at a wall of ice, which shattered on impact to reveal an ice- carved rendering of the PPCC. “We are thrilled to be moving forward with our plans for this amazing place for people and penguins that will be centered on conservation. It will be an extraordinary and unique experience for our guests,” says Kagan. In addition to the $10 million grant from the Polk Family Fund – the largest gift in the history of the DZS – the William Davidson Foundation Fund has committed $3 million toward the development of the $29.5-million, 33,000-square-foot PPCC. With more than a dozen gifts of $100,000 or greater from individuals and corporate and family foundations, and a commitment from the DZS Board of $8.5 million, the total secured for the landmark project is more than $25 million, leaving $4 million yet to be raised. Gifts of $1,000 or more supporting the PPCC will receive public recognition at the site of the new home for the Zoo’s penguins. For more information or to make a philanthropic investment, contact Tricia Brosnahan at (248) 336-5728 or tbrosnahan@dzs.org or visit dzoo.org/pcc. Do Good and Be Green – Become a Monthly Supporter