Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust Gives $1.5M Toward Campaign For Conservation And Community: Saving the Orangutans
INDIANAPOLIS, 2012-09-06 — /travelprnews.com/ — The Indianapolis Zoo broke ground today on the International Orangutan Center. Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard were among the more than 200 distinguished guests who joined Indianapolis Zoo Board of Trustees Chairman Alan Cohen for the ceremony.
Announced during the ceremony was the most recent gift to the project – a $1.5 million grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. The $21.5 million International Orangutan Center is the centerpiece of the Zoo’s $30 million Campaign for Conservation and Community: Saving the Orangutans, and is scheduled to open in May 2014. This gift brings the campaign’s total to nearly $25 million.
“The International Orangutan Center will be the most important zoo exhibit in the world and a global center of excellence, setting a new standard for zoos in how they design animal habitats,” said Indianapolis Zoo President and CEO Michael Crowther. “It is our hope that this new center will be the catalyst for the change that can save these amazing animals from extinction in our lifetime.”
The dignitaries who turned the ceremonial first scoop of earth were:
1. Kent Agness, trustee of the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust
2. Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard
3. Alan Cohen, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Indianapolis Zoo
4. Michael Crowther, President & CEO, Indianapolis Zoo
5. Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels
6. Fred and Suzie Fehsenfeld, representing The Heritage Group
7. Paul Grayson, Senior Vice President of Research & Conservation, Indianapolis Zoo
8. Whitney Helms, representing the Solso Family
9. Julia Lacy, representing the Eccles/Lacy Family
10. Ace Yakey, Lilly Endowment Inc.
11. Dan Yates, representing the R.B. Annis Educational Foundation
The International Orangutan Center will include several unique elements, but the most visible will be the 150-foot Beacon of Hope extending upward from the center of the exhibit. The Beacon of Hope, a gift of the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, will be illuminated by lights the orangutans turn on themselves, symbolizing the hope that still exists for this endangered species.
“The International Orangutan Center will provide our orangutans with a wonderful new home while giving Zoo visitors a unique perspective into the nature and capabilities of these amazing animals,” said Cohen “In addition to being good for the orangutans, the Center is good for our state and is expected to have an annual impact of $132 million on Indiana’s economy.”
A complete overview of the International Orangutan Center is available at indianapoliszoofuture.com. The overall campaign includes Flights of Fancy: A Brilliance of Birds presented by Citizens Energy Group and the renovation of the Zoo’s Entry Plaza – both new to the Zoo this year – as well as last year’s opening of Tiger Forest.
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About the Indianapolis Zoo
Located in White River State Park downtown, the Indianapolis Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the American Association of Museums as a zoo, aquarium and botanical garden. The Indianapolis Zoo empowers people and communities, both locally and globally, to advance animal conservation.
About the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust
The Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust seeks to help people in need, especially women, children and families; to protect animals and nature; and to enrich community life in the metropolitan areas of Indianapolis and Phoenix. Learn more at www.ninapulliamtrust.org.
Contact: Jon Glesing
Public Relations Director
(317) 630-3265
jglesing@indyzoo.com