Highlighting Friends' Work over the Past Year

November 9, 2022

Hello Friends,

I’m delighted to share with you this year’s annual report, which reflects the work of the Friends of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo and the impact of your generous support. You can download the report from our website. This month, we highlight a few of the initiatives featured in the report.

Tuesday, November 29, is Giving Tuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back that kicks off the charitable giving season. The Friends will have a booth outside of the JMZ on November 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. We encourage you to stop by if you are visiting. A generous donor has offered to match every dollar donated to the Friends that day, up to $10,000. Please consider making a donation to The Friends of the JMZ’s Annual Fund at friendsjmz.org/donate on November 29. The Annual Fund provides general operating support that allows us to allocate dollars where they are most needed at the JMZ, and to fund important programs, such as those that expand access to science education in our community. 

Thank you for your continued support!

Lauren Angelo

President, Friends of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo 

An Exciting Year for Programs

With your generous support, over the past year the Friends:

• Successfully raised $300,000 for the California Dinosaur Garden, a fully immersive and accessible exhibit that will open in 2023. Funds raised supplement a grant awarded to the JMZ by the Institute of Museum and Library Services to make this exhibit a reality.

The California Dinosaur Garden will open next year in the JMZ's Dawn Redwood Garden.

• Unveiled a new JMZ exhibit, the Voyage Solar System Model. This outdoor exhibit, which is free to the public, is a 1 to 10-billion scale model of the Solar System.

• Funded the JMZ Science Outreach Program in the Ravenswood City School District and East Palo Alto Charter School, serving 1,590 students in East Palo Alto and Eastern Menlo Park through 414 in-person lessons in the 2021-2022 school year.

The JMZ's Science Outreach Program in the Ravenswood City School District and East Palo Alto Charter School brings interactive science lessons to classrooms.

• Brought Science with a Twist, a popular JMZ afterschool program, to young students of the Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula’s East Palo Alto clubhouse.

One of the most requested visitors for classroom lessons, the four-toed hedgehog. Photo courtesy of Scott Buschman.

• Hosted nearly 900 guests for Super Family Sunday events. These free events provide exclusive access to the JMZ for children with disabilities and their families.

A photo of a young visitor interacting with one of the tactile elements in the zoo. Photo courtesy of Artem Nazarov.

• Funded DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) training for staff at the JMZ, as well as Friends’ staff and board members.

• Funded a front-end evaluation of the JMZ, for 2023, to identify ways to broaden community access and better serve underrepresented visitors.

• Funded a two-year community outreach coordinator position for 2023 to grow partnerships with surrounding communities, learn more about their interactions with the JMZ, and look for opportunities to better serve their needs. 

Thank you for your continued support of the Friends and the JMZ’s mission to engage a child’s curiosity in science and nature. 

Friends of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo

info@friendsjmz.org | www.friendsjmz.org

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