A Shoutout to Our H₂O Friends!

We have been able to give away 3,083 free Aquarium admissions and/or free education programs this year! We would like to shoutout our most recent H₂O Friends guests from Better Family Life and RealNewsSTL's special guests! Take a look at their visit highlights!

Stream Teams United AmeriCorps program.

I have lived in St. Louis for most of my life and yet I had never been on the mighty rivers that shaped this city I call home! Through Stream Teams United, I was humbled to receive the invitation to participate in Paddle MO 2021, which was my first experience kayaking on a great river before. As I entered the Missouri River for the first time, I felt a little fearful because of how vast, majestic, and strong the river is. But I also felt a great sense of peace knowing that this river has taken care of me and millions of people for thousands of years. I chose to trust the current and lean into the unknown ahead of me, including a 30-mile kayaking trip to the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers and an overnight stay at Sioux Passage campground! Lastly, I felt excitement and gratitude to be surrounded by an amazing team of paddlers who would support and guide me the whole way through.

Paddle MO taught me that we are not separate from nature. We are interconnected to the animals, land, and water all around us, and our daily choices, big and small, leave a lasting legacy. It made me ask myself, 'what legacy do I want to leave?'

I learned that a "floatilla" is paddler's lingo for linking up boats and forming kayak-islands on the water! We usually formed "floatillas" when we took education breaks on the river!

Did you know that more than half of Missouri's drinking water comes from the Missouri River? We are more connected to our rivers than we think!

I was shocked to discover that more than half of Missourians get their drinking water from the Missouri River. And I spent time reflecting on the idea of rivers as the arteries and veins of Mother Nature, carrying life-giving energy throughout the land. I was overwhelmed with feeling the enjoyment of nature, coupled with a deep sense of responsibility to preserve and protect our waterways that provide for us without us having to think twice about it. Water generously provides food, drink, transport, recreation, and life to all the animals, plants, people, and places they meet. Doing what I can to promote the health of our waterways is the least I can do in return.

Paddle MO motivated me to think deeper about how I act in ways that support the wellbeing of local watersheds and show gratitude towards all sources of water, from the mighty rivers to the small creeks. Thank you to Stream Teams United and all their sponsors that help make Paddle MO a reality! Click here to learn more and register for the 2022 Paddle MO experience! 

Ni’-u-k. on-çka (Osage).

AMA GVNDA (Cherokee).

On October 26^th we celebrated our 200+ volunteers at our first annual Volunteer Appreciation Event! Volunteers were given royal STL treatment and enjoyed a night of IMO's pizza, toasted ravs, Gus' Pretzels, and gooey butter cake. We celebrated their accomplishments over the past two years, recognizing those volunteers with 50 or more hours of service with certificates (and pins to come!)

Without our volunteers, we would not be where we are today. As a group, you all have achieved so much, including almost 6,000 hours of volunteer work, including assisting with over 190 hours of Special Projects & Special Events, making a major impact in our community!

OTTER-ly Amazing Volunteer Service Awards Volunteers who have served 50-99 Hours

FIN-tastic Volunteer Service Awards

 Paul Biggs 

 David Fink

 Matthew Patterson

 Sandy Weis  

INK-credible Volunteer Service Award

Learn more and complete an application here!

An Evening to RAY-member!

Our second annual Member's Night on September 29^th was an evening to RAY-member! We invited our Global Waters Circle and Aquarium Friends Circle Members and their families to the Aquarium after hours to enjoy an evening of good fun, good company, and good food!

Thank you to all the staff and volunteers who helped make Member's Night 2021 a RAY-ly good time!

Our inaugural gala was SOLD OUT and a wonderful celebration of the Aquarium Foundation mission of inspiring marine science education and free Aquarium admissions and programs for underserved audiences. Thanks to our gala sponsors, auction donors, attendees, volunteers, and fund-a-need donors, we raised $395,000! The amazing evening included themed cocktails, animal encounters, after-hours access to the Aquarium, dinner among friends, and an inspiring presentation from our special guest, Fabien Cousteau.

A special thank you goes to our event chair, Linda Hunter, for her support and dedication to making this inaugural event OTTER-ly successful and FIN-tastically fun!

Say SHELL-o to our

We would like to o-FISH-ally welcome our new St. Louis Aquarium Foundation Team members! Take a look at their bios and read about why we are so excited to welcome them to our team!

Abby Lewis was born and raised in St. Louis, MO and graduated from Lindenwood University with a Bachelor’s degree in Nonprofit Administration and Stage Management. Before joining the Aquarium Foundation, she was the manager of The Bridge Coffee House, a nonprofit coffee shop in St. Charles, MO. In her free time she enjoys hiking, exploring local coffee shops and restaurants, playing board games, and raising her cat. Abby is very excited about this opportunity to work with the St. Louis Aquarium Foundation and combine her passions for animals, education, and conservation!

Andrea is an animal enthusiast and lover of travel. She was adopted from South Korea at birth and has lived in St. Louis ever since. She earned her B.A with emphasis in Biology and Management through Webster University in 2018. Her love and passion for animals and conservation started at the St. Louis Zoo Education Department in 2008-2020, where she assisted the Invertebrate Keepers in finding American Burying Beetles in Northeast Missouri. She is very excited to be teaching all guests (young and young-at-heart) about the wonders of Water Conservation both at home and in the wild. Did we mention her favorite animal is the hellbender?

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