FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 12, 2019
CONTACT:
San Diego Zoo Global
Public Relations
619-685-3291
WEBSITE:
SanDiegoZoo.org
NEWS RELEASE
San Diego Zoo Receives Largest Challenge Gift in Its History
San Diegans Ernest and Evelyn Rady have made a record-setting commitment in support of the San Diego Zoo’s Animal Ambassador program. The Radys have pledged $20 million, of which $15 million will be a challenge grant that must be earned with matching donations from other Zoo supporters. Every $1 committed through the Rady Challenge will be equally matched by Ernest and Evelyn Rady up to the $15 million maximum.
The Radys’ gift also includes a $5 million endowment. In honor of this $20 million gift commitment, the Zoo’s renowned Zoo Express and Animal Ambassador programs—which connect millions of Zoo guests to wildlife and promote San Diego Zoo Global’s vision of leading the fight against extinction—will be renamed as Rady Ambassadors.
Each year, the San Diego Zoo’s animal ambassadors make scores of visits throughout San Diego County. “The Radys’ gift provides permanent funding, so that community members who cannot come to the Zoo may experience the wonder of wildlife from hospital beds, senior homes, other care facilities and schools,” said Douglas G. Myers, San Diego Zoo president/CEO.
Rady Ambassadors will have a new headquarters in the brand-new Sanford Children’s Zoo, scheduled to open at the San Diego Zoo in 2021. The Rady Ambassadors program’s new home will offer temperature-controlled animal bedrooms and modern amenities, including keeper kitchens, “green room”-style staging areas and upgraded spaces for convenient veterinary care access.
All Rady Challenge donations must be secured by June 30, 2020, to earn the Radys’ $15 million match.
“Evelyn and I are proud of all that the San Diego Zoo does in our community,” said Ernest Rady. “It is a magnet for tourism, and boosts the quality of life for all residents. By making this commitment, we want what is so special about the Zoo to be in place forever.”
San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Zoo is globally recognized and a San Diego icon, hosting 4 million guests each year. At the San Diego Zoo, visitors can watch penguins and sharks swim, observe the behavior of century-old Galápagos tortoises, enjoy the beauty of exotic orchids, marvel at the playful nature of giant pandas, explore walkthrough aviaries filled with the songs and colors of rare birds, and appreciate the power of leopards and jaguars. The San Diego Zoo is also accredited by the American Association of Museums as a Botanical Garden. As visitors discover the rare and endangered species at the San Diego Zoo, they are directly contributing, through admission and on-grounds sales, to the efforts of San Diego Zoo Global, an international nonprofit conservation organization that works to fight extinction through recovery efforts for plants and animals worldwide. To learn more, visit sandiegozoo.org, or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or YouTube.
###