The Sammons Financial Group generously supported the zoo with a $100,000 gift in 2015 that directly impacted the expansion of our educational footprint across eastern South Dakota. Our ZooMobile program, which is a 45-minute educational encounter led by a zoo educator and several animal ambassadors, will reach 96 poverty-level schools in 42 school districts over a three-year period.
Sammons’ kind philanthropy provides children in these communities an opportunity to learn about animals and their habitats by getting up close and interacting with the zoo's animals. This is an experience many of them would not previously have had. As part of the partnership, we unveiled a colorful ZooMobile vehicle that travels across the state to deliver this excellent program. All ZooMobile programs meet state and national science standards.