 | | Jerome Donovan holds "Donovan" the cub. |
A little over two decades ago, the late Senator James H. Donovan secured funding for the Utica Zoo to build its Big Cat Exhibit. Earlier this year, the fund created in his memory helped improve that very habitat.
The $5,000 gift from the Senator James H. Donovan Memorial Fund will help the zoo revise the cats' habitat to accommodate its three newest residents, adult African Lions Monni (female) and Bakari (male) and their cub, named Donovan in honor of the senator.
Jerome Donovan, the senator's son and donor-advisor to the fund, recalled, "On a cold Saturday morning in February, my wife and I were given the opportunity to visit the zoo under the cover of secrecy to meet Monni and Bakari. At the time - with the exception of zoo staff and board - no one knew of the zoo's newest inhabitants. During our visit, we learned that the exhibit would need improvements to accommodate the lions and ensure the safety of patrons. Given Senator Donovan's long association with the zoo and interest in the conservation of endangered wildlife we made a commitment that we would underwrite the cost of improvements to Big Cat Exhibit."
Commenting on the power of an endowed donor-advised fund, Donovan noted, "The Donovan Fund, established March 1991, was one of the first, if not the first fund, to be converted to a donor-advised funds at The Foundation under Gordon Hayes in October 1998. Its first grant was made in 1994. Over the course of the past 17 years, 61 grants have been made totaling $73,600, not including scholarship grants to MVCC and HCCC, handled through the separate Donovan Scholarship Fund since March 2005. Frankly, I have lost count of the number and amounts of the scholarships, but from my last count a few years ago, more than $37,000 in scholarships have been awarded. This puts the combined grants - Memorial Fund & Scholarship Fund - over $110,000. Not too shabby when considering the relatively modest initial endowment of $73,000."
The partnership between the Donovan Fund and the Utica Zoo is just one example of how donor-advisors maintain their philanthropic legacies and support their dearest causes. If you would like to discuss current grant opportunities, please contact Program Associate Marie Piayai. |
