ZOOlentangy fundraiser slated Aug. 13 at Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
ZOOlentangy, the Olentangy Education Foundation’s signature event, is scheduled Aug. 13 at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
The event supports the foundation, which provides support to students and teachers in the Olentangy Schools by providing staff grants for innovative programs and learning opportunities, for which tax dollars are not available, and by recognizing outstanding staff members.
Libby Wallick, foundation board member and recently appointed member of the district’s board of education, said that holding the event at the zoo, which is within the district at 4850 W. Powell Road in Powell, offers attendees an opportunity for some up-close animal encounters.
“The Africa Center is a great venue, and it backs right up to Heart of Africa, so we can offer giraffe feeding and other animal experiences,” she said.
This year’s ZOOlentangy will closely resemble past events, Wallick said, with the addition of a local artist doing caricatures and a showcase of some foundation grant recipients.
“We’ll give teachers who have received grants the opportunity to set up a display and engage with those in attendance to offer a look at the kind of innovative ideas they’re doing in the classroom,” Wallick said.
Foundation executive director Rachel Haugk said any district employee is eligible to submit a grant request, although most come from teachers. She said all requests undergo a rigorous review, with such qualities as sustainability and the level of student impact weighted heavily.
“Awarding grants is the primary focus of the foundation,” Haugk said. “We are looking at things like innovation and creativity, as well as student impact. ZOOlentangy is where we raise the greatest amount of dollars to support that.”
The event raised $55,000 in 2019, its inaugural year. The event was not held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year’s ZOOlentangy raised $67,000.
Haugk said the 2022 goal is $78,000.
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Past foundation grants include $2,700 to purchase a playground communication board at Oak Creek Elementary School. This interactive communication board serves nonverbal children using augmentative alternative communication systems, allowing students the ability to communicate with their peers and staff, regardless of their communication method.
The foundation also granted $1,716 for a high school science department to buy USB-Bluetooth digital microscopes, which let students work in groups and observe small organisms and forensic evidence using familiar technology.
The microscopes allow one student to manipulate the scope and focus the image while all students view it using a phone, tablet or computer.
Haugk said every grant awarded by the foundation is listed on the foundation’s website.
“We have a great district that we support in many ways, including with our tax dollars, but we can always do better,” Wallick said. “There are many wonderful ideas that we get from staff for things they want to implement in the classroom.”
ZOOlentangy is for patrons ages 21 and older. Tickets are $100 through July 31; the cost per ticket rises to $125 as of Aug. 1.
Tickets are available at olentangyeducationfoundation.org.
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