BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo has received a $10,000 grant from the Petit Family Foundation (PFF). The PFF Grant Committee approved the grant, earmarked for the Zoo’s Conservation Discovery Corps (CDC). The Foundation’s funds are given to foster the education of young people, especially women in the sciences; to improve the lives of those affected by chronic illnesses; and to support efforts to protect and help those affected by violence.
The CDC is a yearlong program designed to allow high school students to work side by side with field biologists, study the role of zoos in conservation, and help educate zoo guests. The CDC accepts applications through January 15theach calendar year. Training begins in February. Program registration is closed for 2018, but the Zoo encourages students to apply for the 2019 CDC experience.
Zoo Director Gregg Dancho said, “We are grateful for the Foundation's support, and honor their mission of doing good in the world. Our CDC teens are enthusiastic about making the world a better place through their conservation work and focus on the environment."
The Zoo is grateful to its many members, supporters, and corporate partners that help to educate, delight, and bring animal welfare and conservation to the state of Connecticut. In particular, the Zoo wishes to thank the Petit Family Foundation for its support.
The Petit Family Foundation exists because of a tragedy: the senseless murder of a mother, Jennifer Lynn Hawke-Petit, and her daughters, Hayley Elizabeth Petit, and Michaela Rose Petit. William A, Petit, Jr., husband and father, escaped to seek help. At the public memorial service graciously hosted by Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Conn., Dr. Petit asked those gathered to “help a neighbor, fight for a cause, and love your family,” to honor the memories of his family and make the world a little bit better place to live.
About Connecticut’s Beardsley ZooSpend the day a world away at Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo! Connecticut's only zoo is celebrating its 96thanniversary this year. The Zoo features 300 animals representing primarily North and South American species. Guests won't want to miss our Amur (Siberian) tigers and tiger cubs, Maned wolf family, Amur leopards, sloths, red pandas, Brazilian ocelot, Mexican wolves, and Golden Lion tamarins. Other highlights include our South American rainforest with free-flight aviary, the prairie dog exhibit with "pop-up" viewing areas, the New England Farmyard with goats, pigs, sheep, and other barnyard critters, plus the hoofstock trail featuring bison, pronghorn, deer, and more. Guests can grab a bite at the Peacock Café, eat in the Picnic Grove, and enjoy a ride on our colorful carousel. For more information, visit beardsleyzoo.org.
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Photo Caption, from left to right: William Petit, Sr., Vice President and Board of Directors; Gregg Dancho, Director, CT's Beardsley Zoo; Tricia Meade, Zoo Intern with Conservation Discovery Corps; Jim Knox, Education Curator, CT's Beardsley Zoo; Hanna Petit Chapman, Board of Directors and Grant Committee Member; Dr. William Petit, Jr., President