The Event: More than 850 supporters cooled their heels at the 38th annual Lincoln Park Zoo Ball, “Arctic Blast,” hosted by the Women’s Board. The annual benefit is the zoo’s premier fundraiser and helps to keep this Chicago landmark free and open to the public 365 days a year. The funds raised also aid LPZ’s education and conservation efforts, and help to bring in new exhibits.
Cause Célebre: “It’s a wonderful cause,” said Matthew Halpin of Hinsdale, attending the July 10 gala with his wife, Janet, for the second year in a row. “There is only one way to keep this (zoo) free to the public and this is how we do it.”
Peter Meder, formerly of Northfield, attends the zoo 52 times a year, taking his 5-year-old grandson there a minimum of once a week. “He’s grown up here,” said Meder noting that Lincoln Park Zoo is: “A great place for kids to learn how to be with each other in a non-digital place and to have a good time.”
The Women’s Board of Lincoln Park Zoo actively raises for the zoo. But they also serve as ambassadors to Chicago’s diverse communities at large working to connect them with exceptional wildlife experiences.
“People get to learn about animals that they never would get to see otherwise,” said 25-year board member Myra Reilly of Lake Forest, former president of the Women’s Board and two-time Zoo Ball chairman. “They learn about conservation and how to take care of the world we live in.”
Bottom Line: The event raised nearly $1.1 million.