BOISE, Idaho — Zoo Boise announced Thursday they have been awarded an $18,657 ‘Quality of Life’ grant from the Christopher and Dana Reeves Foundation. The money will be used to improve mobility at one of their exhibits.
The Nyala and Southern Ground Hornbill exhibit has a small staircase that you can step on the view the animals, but with the grant money, the zoo will be removing it and adding a ramp for visitors to use instead.
“At Zoo Boise we are very honored to receive the grant from the Christopher and Dana Reeves Foundation," PR and Marketing Coordinator Jeff Agosta said. "We are going to be able to allow people with mobility issues to experience our animals and connect with wildlife, support conservation, and to have a wonderful day outside and that's very important to us. That’s something we are always going to be looking to approve upon as well."
The ramp option will provide more mobile accessibility to people trying to view the animals in the exhibit.
“The Reeve Foundation is humbled and proud to be able to support important organizations by offering life-changing projects and programs through this grant cycle,” said Mark Bogosian, Director, Quality of Life Grants Program, Reeve Foundation. “Funding projects that prevent harassment and displacement of low-income tenants, offering Paralympians an abuse prevention curriculum and other community-based activities like adaptive sports and gardening to end food insecurity is an example of how we’re aiding people living with paralysis to regain their independence and back into their local community.”
The Reeve Foundation National Paralysis Resource Center has several different grants and supports a wide range of projects, including this one at Zoo Boise, which helps improve accessibility for individuals living with paralysis.
