We are committed to supporting organizations throughout our communities, like the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo, to power the next opportunity. Read what their staff has to say about how this partnership has helped their organization serve countless individuals and families in Fort Wayne and beyond:
“Indiana Michigan Power aligns with the Zoo’s vision to create future generations of nature enthusiasts through leadership in animal care, educational experiences and conservation, which are each supported through this partnership.” – Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo Leadership
How would you best describe the work your organization does?
The mission of the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo is to connect kids with animals, strengthen families and inspire people to care about the world around them. As an organization, we achieve our mission by providing opportunities to engage with over 1,500 unique animals across over 40 acres of natural habitats, maintaining a space that welcomes family-focused interactions and by offering a wide variety of daily programming that teaches participants about the importance of caring for our natural world.
What audience does your organization commonly serve?
Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo welcomes over 600,000 guests and zoo members of all ages through the front gates each year. Our membership roster, on average, is made up of over 18,000 member households. Additionally, we reach approximately 15,000-plus preschool through 12th grade students annually through education programming, organized throughout Zoo grounds as well as in local classrooms across Northeast Indiana. While many of our guests are from about a 90 minute radius from Fort Wayne, we also welcome visitors from across the Midwest, country and sometimes across the world with our conservation partners. We also work to ensure the Zoo continues to remain accessible to everyone who wishes to visit. Through the Zoo for All: Community Ticket Grants program, area nonprofits and human service agencies complete a short grant application outlining how a trip to the zoo would impact and enhance their programming and participants. In 2023, the program dispersed over 11,5000 admission tickets across 85 organizations to children, families and other diverse audiences in the community.
How would you describe your organization’s partnership with I&M?
I&M has been a generous and steadfast Zoo partner since 2000, and over the past 24 years has invested over $312,000 in Zoo programming. Together, we have partnered on Zoomobile programs, Jungle Lab classroom, Teens for Nature, Zoo for All Community tickets and Branch to Browse, just to name a few. Partnerships with organizations like I&M help us to continue to share our mission of connecting kids with animals, strengthening families and inspiring people to care, with hundreds of thousands of people each year.
In what ways have you worked with I&M during this partnership?
Over the past 20-plus years, I&M has served as a diversified donor, investing in programming that supports Zoo projects, education initiatives and our greatest needs. In most recent years, I&M has generously partnered with the Zoo as a Zoofari: Bites, Brews and Beasts event sponsor, which supports the Zoo’s annual operating fund. Since 2018, they have also served as the presenting sponsor for Teens for Nature, the Zoo’s leadership training program for over 250 area teens in 7th through 12th grade.
Additionally, in 2021 we introduced the Branch to Browse program, a unique partnership with I&M’s forestry team that provides leafy limbs for animals here to enjoy. The limbs, which are gathered through regular trimming maintenance around powerlines, are utilized for species at the Zoo, including our giraffes and porcupines. This programming not only helps provide exceptional animal care, but it also saves our Animal Care Specialists from having to collect their own browse.
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I&M is honored to partner with the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo both as an organization but also through efforts of our individual team. Opportunities to volunteer and serve on the leadership board, such as with Katie Davis, vice president of external affairs and customer experience, offer further potential to support the communities we live and work in.