Friends News!

• Moms & Muffins Silent Auction, September 14, 2008
• We are still seeking exciting auction items for this event. Thanks to our event sponsors including The Four Seasons, Juut, Skin Spirit, Stanford Floral Design, TheatreWorks, Peninsula Youth Theatre, and Peninsula Beauty Supply. To donate an item, call (650) 326-6338. To attend this event, become a member!


• Bobcat Habitat Update, August 2008
• To date, we have raised $153,000 of our $300,000 budget! Thanks to the following donors who made generous leadership gifts for this project: Mariela & Keith Kleiner, Wendy Dransfield & Robert Bridger, The Peery Family, The Laurel Foundation, Leonard & Shirley Ely, and the KC Family Foundation.


• Science Outreach Program Update, August 2008
• Thus far, we have raised $23,750 to offer hands-on Science classes for Ravenswood students in kindergarten through 3rd grade at Willow Oaks Elementary School in the 2008-09 school year. We are grateful to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation which is promoting this program and encouraging their donors to participate. For more information, please call (650) 326-6338.


• Shopping News, August 2008
• We've teamed up with CuteLittleClothes.com children's clothing boutique to give you the opportunity to support the PA Junior Museum and Zoo while doing your back-to-school shopping from the comfort of your home. From now until Labor Day, 10% of your purchase proceeds will go to support the PA Junior Museum and Zoo. You also get Free Shipping on your purchase with coupon code JMZ.


• Palo Alto Sport Shop & Toy World Donation, August 2008
• The Palo Alto Sport Shop generously donated 10% of sale proceeds on August 8 & 9 to the Junior Museum & Zoo. Shoppers were encouraged to stock up on summer items and back-to-school sports equipment. A big thank you to General Manager Eric Charles Hager who presented us with a check for $1980.00. Please check back for the dates of our Christmas shopping days.


• Books, Inc. Events, July 2008
• Books Inc., at Town & Country Village in Palo Alto, held its second fundraiser for the bobcat habitat.  The first event featured Curious George and raised $486 in March 2008.  The follow-up event was held July 19, featuring Corduroy the Bear, and raised $345.  Kudos to Eric Peterson who coordinated these events.


• JMZ hires John Aikin, June 2008
• The city hired John Aikin to be the new Director of the JMZ. See story in the Palo Alto Weekly.


• Matching Challenge Grant Update, June 2008
• Due to the generosity of local families and businesses, we were able to meet the challenge grant of an anonymous local family to raise $75k by June 1 for the bobcat habitat project.  The donor awarded us a $50,000 matching grant on June 15.  A big thank you to everyone who helped us reach this goal.  The next phase is to raise another $200k by December 31.  All donations to the bobcat habitat project will be matched!


• May Fete Celebration, May 2008
• Two members of Girl Scout Troop #60667, Sarah McDonnell and Megan Valencia, organized a May Fete booth to raise money for the bobcat habitat.  The Friends wish to thank these young ladies for their hard work, perseverance, and leadership skills.


• Bobcat Habitat Fundraising Update, May 2008
• The Palo Alto Daily News did a wonderful story about our new campaign to raise money to renovate the bobcat habitat. Please read here.


• Grant News, May 2008
• The Friends are proud to announce that we received 3 grants in support of our Science Outreach Program. This valuable science program provides hands-on classes for East Palo Alto students in kindergarten through 3rd grade at Willow Oaks Elementary School. In 2007-08, we provided 192 classes with restricted grants from the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund ($5,000), the Rotary Club of Palo Alto ($7,500), and the Palo Alto Community Foundation ($5,000). The Friends appreciate the generous support of these local community leaders.


• Lions Club Donation, April 2008
• The Palo Alto Lions Club held their April meeting at the JMZ and donated $2,000 to the bobcat habitat renovation project. Thanks to Roger Stroud for organizing this event.


• Greenlight Film Festival, April 2008
• On April 17th, the Friends had a booth at the Greenlight Film Festival. The Friends were proud to be part of this "green" initiative. Congratulations to the student filmmakers.


• Bobcat Habitat Design, March 2008
• The Friends hired Studio Hanson Roberts (SHR) to design a new bobcat habitat for Rufus and Tule. SHR is an award-winning design firm specializing in creating environments for zoos and educational institutions. We expect to have construction documents ready in July 2008. If you are interested in making a donation to help with the design and construction of the new bobcat habitat, please donate today or call (650) 326-6338.


• Dads & Donuts and Halloween Zoo Night Announcement, January 2008
• The Friends announced the dates for 2 of our most popular events. Dads & Donuts will be held on Sunday, April 6, 9am - 11am and Halloween Zoo Night will be Saturday, November 1, 6pm - 8pm. Both events are "members-only" events so renew your memberships soon! Click here to join.


• Bobcat Renovation Matching Grant, January 2008
• An anonymous donor has issued a $50,000 challenge grant to match funds raised for the bobcat project by June 1st. If we raise $75,000 in Bobcat Habitat funds by June 1, 2008, then the donor will give the Friends an additional $50,000 grant. That means for every $1.50 you are able to donate to this project, the Friends will receive an additional $1. Thus, this is a unique opportunity for YOUR donation to go even further! Please donate today and help us meet this challenge grant by June 1.

City of Palo Alto Update, December 2007
The Friends and JMZ Staff proposed a new partnership agreement with the City of Palo Alto, which was approved by the City Council on December 17. Building on years of cooperation, the new agreement creates the framework for an enhanced and expanded working relationship between the Friends and the City. Aletha Coleman, Co-President of the Board of Directors said, "We are excited about our increased role and we look forward to helping the JMZ with much needed improvements, such as renovating the Bobcat Habitat."


Staffing News, November 2007
The Friends hired Molly McAuliffe as the Director of Development. McAuliffe previously served on the Friends Board for 2 years and in her new role will be responsible for the day-to-day management and fundraising activities for the Friends. McAuliffe has over 15 years experience working with non-profit organizations.


Donor Update, January 2007
The Friends received a $1 million gift from Carmen M. Christensen, earmarked for organizational transition and to seed capital improvements. Mrs. Christensen regularly frequented the Museum from the late 40's and on, and her two daughters, Diane and Karen, have taken their own children for visits and classes. The Friends are extremely grateful to the Christensen Family for this generous leadership grant.