Friends of the Palo Alto
Junior Museum & Zoo
Club JMZ Event

 
 
Join us for a fun and spooky night at the JMZ!
  • Dress up in your favorite Halloween costume
  • Meet critters that come out to play for this event only
  • Enjoy pizza, drinks, and other treats in the zoo
  • And more!
 
This is a Club JMZ member-only event. Join at the door or online.
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The New JMZ: It's getting real...
 
We are just $1 million away from reaching our $10 million goal, which will result in a matching gift of $15 million from the Peery Foundation, and enable us to break ground on a new building for the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo.

Our exciting progress is due to the generosity of donors to the JMZ Initiative. We would like to thank our most recent donors, including the Brin Wojcicki Foundation, Susan Rosenberg, Merrill and Alicia Newman, Robert and Lily Huang, and Roger Smith and Judy Kay. 

If you would like to help us reach $1 million, donate to the "JMZ Initiative" on our donation page.  
 
More information about the JMZ Initiative can be found on our campaign page. 
 
Volunteer at the JMZ
We are currently recruiting volunteers for Fall and Winter!  
 

We want to know how many people currently visit the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo. 
 
In May 2016, we began a year-long project to count our visi tors six days a month. We are recruiting volunteers who enjoy working with families and children to h elp us.

Volunteers can sign-up for one or more shifts per month and two volunteers will be assigned per shift. Volunteers will greet visitors at the front entrance and count them using methods provided by the museum staff. Shifts are between 2-3 hours in length.
We are reaching out to community groups, schools and volunteer organizations to recruit but the best advertising is word of mouth. Please contact Kat Schlier at kathleen.schlier@gmail.com to sign-up. 
The JMZ Goes to Washington

J MZ Exhibits Director, Tina Keegan, recently attended the American Alliance of Museums conference in Washington DC, where she presented on the JMZ's Accessibility Project. The JMZ Accessibility P roject aims to improve the experience for families who have children with disabilities, and to design a new facility from the ground up to engage children of all abilities and learning styles (visit our website for more information on the JMZ Initiative) . Our design and research for the new facility has included focus groups, accessibility reviews by ADA and Universal Design consultants, and our ongoing Super Family Sunday events. We have learned that improving the experience for people with disabilities ultimately creates a better experience for all visitors.
 
Tina also moderated a discussion on the philosophical and economic impacts of free admission. The JMZ is one of the few museums that does not charge admission. Free admission affects how people use museums, as people will visit free venues more often and more casually without the pressure to "get their money's worth." This point is supported by our visitor data: 80% of JMZ visitors are repeat visitors and 56.9% are high frequency visitors (visiting more than 4 times per year). We often hear guests say that they "stop by on their way home for just 20 minutes." The panel also discussed the advantages of charging admission. It is expensive to run a cultural organization and having no admission fees reduces revenue which can sometimes reduce the quality of the experience delivered, as there are less funds to reinvest in the organization.
Fall Classes at the JMZ!

Fall classes are coming soon! Here are just a few of our exciting programs:
 
Bubble & Fizz  
Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. 
Sept 14 - Sept 28
 
Come create fizzy potions with us! In this chemistry class for preschoolers, learn what makes things bubble, ooze or bounce! 
 
Discovery Thursdays 
Thursdays at 11:30 a.m. 
Sept 15 - Oct 27
 
Discover a smorgasbord of science at the Junior Museum and Zoo. Each wee k , we'll explore a variety of exciting science topics. Join us and learn about thing s that chirp, fizz and zo om. Activities change each session, quarter and year, so you can sign up again and have new adventures. Discovery Wednesdays, Discovery Thursdays, and Discovery Fridays contain similar content. 
 
Fur & Feathers 
Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. 
Sept 15 - Sept 29
 
Why do some animals have fur while others are covered in feathers?    Why are he dgehogs spiky? What are feathers for besides flying?  Find out the answers to these questions and more in this class about the amazing adaptations of animals.
 
Register early! More classes are available for preschoolers and grades K-5th. Visit www.cityofpaloalto.org/enjoy or call (650) 329-2111 for more information.
 
Donors
We are grateful to all donors who have given to the Friends of JMZ and the JMZ Initiative. Your donation - whatever size - really makes a difference.

JMZ Initiative Donors
 
Anonymous (5)
Meredith Ackley
Kurt and Rayme Adzema
Carolyn Amster
Melissa Anderson
Steven Baker
The Baldwin Family Foundation
Bern Beecham & Cheryl Lathrop
Annette Bialson & Gary Sharron
Jennifer, Aurélie, & Anaïs Bienaimé
Donna Bohling & Doug Kalish
The Brin Wojcicki Foundation
John & Susan Cala
Brian & Jennifer Carlstrom
Shawn Carolan
Jane Rytina & Jonathan Chadwick
The Christensen Family
Anne & Walter Clark
Aletha Leong Coleman & Denis Coleman
Mark Crady & Lucy Stapleton
John & Allison Danner
Wendy Dransfield & Robert Bridger
William H. Draper III & Phyllis C. Draper
Cheryl and David Duffield
Daniel Shader & Lissa Dutton
Len & Jennifer Dulski
The Elkes Foundation
Steve & Patricia Emslie
Spencer & Stephanie Ewing
The Flora Family Foundation
Anne & Buzz Frahn
Dr. Joel & Carol Friedman
Marcel & Lisa Gani
Matt Glickman & Susie Hwang
The John & Marcia Goldman Foundation
The Gordon Family Giving Fund
LaureL Foundation
Ludwick Family Foundation
Dr. Ernie Mario
Lynn & David Mitchell
Peter & Kristan Norvig Family Fund
The Ranzetta Family/Innovate Foundation
The Rathmann Family Foundation
William Reller
Sarah & Greg Sands
Sereno Properties Palo Alto
Madeline & Isaac Stein
Ann & Don Vermeil
Mara & Rick Wallace
Michele & Ted Wang
William H. Draper III & Phyllis C. Draper Fund
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Yellow Chair Foundation
Thomas Gracon
Tim & Hilary Gudgel
Alison Hagan
Eric & Elaine Hahn
Harry & Susan Hartzell
Andrea & Ryan Helft
Jonathan & Marah Herbach
Harry Hirschman
Sharon & Tyler Hoffman 

Paul & Melissa Hopkins
Robert and Lily Huang
Leannah Hunt
Innovate Foundation
Kingsley Jack
Pitch & Cathie Johnson
Charles & Annette Keenan
The Kepner Family
Karin & Jon Kissane
Trinity & Frank Klein with Asian Box
Keith & Mariela Kleiner
in memory of Samuel Milman
The Koch Family Fund
The LaureL Foundation
Peter Levin & Lisa Voge-Levin
Paul & Susie Levine
The Jacques M. Littlefield Foundation
The Ludwick Family Foundation
Yvette Ma
Dr. Ernie Mario
Walter & Mary McCullough
Robert Meltzer
in memory of Betty Meltzer
Amanda & Ross Metzger
David & Lynn Mitchell
The Moore Family Foundation 
The Morgan Family Foundation
Elizabeth Morgenthaler
Merrill & Alicia Newman
The David & Lucile Packard Foundation
The Peery Foundation
Allen & Janet Podell
Ashray Reddy
Stephen & Missy Reller
William Reller
Jake & Robin Reynolds Fund
Craig Ritchey
Susan Rosenberg
Peter & Beth Rosenthal
Greg & Sarah Sands
Katie Shade
Joe Simitian & Mary Hughes
Chris Skarakis
Sereno Group
Roger Smith and Judy Kay
Stephen & Paula Smith
Jeffrey & Jeanese Snyder
Robert & Julia Soderbery
Thomas Steele
Madeline & Isaac Stein
Tim & Mollie Stitt
Scott & Shelly Taylor
Alex & Nadine Terman
Thomsen Family Fund
Jackie Turner & Mark DeLaurentis
Peter & Virginia Van Kuran
Rick & Mara Wallace
Ted & Michele Wang
Elizabeth & Jamie Wong
Chris Yaros
Linton & Kisa Young


Friends of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo
1451 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 326-6338, info@friendsjmz.org

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