Youth Philanthropy Council 2021 Grant Report The Grant Report is due in the Community Foundation office by Dec. 9, 2021. Date: 12/06/2021 Organization: Hutchinson Friends of the Zoo Project Name: Badger Indoor Exhibit Redesign Grant Award Amount: $565 Name of Grant Contact/Title: Jessica Wright, Hutchinson Zoo Education & Volunteer Coordinator Phone: 620-694-1990 E-mail: Jessica.wright@hutchgov.com ________________________________________________ Signature of Person Completing Report Email Grant Report to: Sarah Blake - Sarah@HutchCF.org Or mail to: Hutchinson Community Foundation Attn: Sarah Blake PO Box 298 Hutchinson, KS 67504-0298 Or deliver to: Hutchinson Community Foundation 1 N. Main - First National Center – 5th Floor Hutchinson, KS 67501 REPORT OF GRANT ACTIVITIES Please type your responses in the space provided below. Limit responses to 2 pages total 1. Specifically, how were the funds from this grant used? Please detail expenditures even if using a narrative style. The funds from this grant were used to purchase materials to redesign the badger indoor exhibit space. We purchased a live trap & squeeze apparatus from Tomahawk Live Trap for $382.24 to allow Oscar the badger to move safely between the indoor and outdoor areas, provide keepers an opportunity to train with him, and enable transportation for medical procedures if needed. The remaining $182.76 was spent on an exhaust fan from Lowes (the Hutchinson Friends of the Zoo paid the difference since the total cost of the fan was $212.50) to provide adequate ventilation and air flow throughout the space. The zoo will purchase the remaining materials needed and provide the labor to finish the renovation by the end of February 2022. 2. Was this program or project successful as proposed in your application? The project construction has not yet been successful due to delays from the contractor running electricity to the building, but the youth engagement component of the project was very successful! We partnered with local schools and offered a STEAM project to engage different groups of students. Interested school classes were given a list of desires for the exhibits, measurements and pictures of the space, and a budget and were asked to submit designs incorporating the required components. Several groups of students followed through by submitting drawings of their exhibit plan; these were put together and reviewed by our Education Coordinator, keeper staff, and Curator. While many of the drawings weren’t practical from a construction or animal care perspective, there were still many creative ideas that staff are looking forward to implementing during the construction phase in the next few months. Some of the design elements we will incorporate include LED lights to brighten the area and enhance viewing, potentially anchoring a pool with a ramp and rocks around it to help keep it clean, placing hollow logs, branches, and rocks around the exhibit to encourage natural behavior, and creating a prairie theme to help tell the story of a natural badger habitat for our visitors. 3. How many youth were involved? Was this more or less than projected? Please explain. We had many more youth involved than originally projected—we were planning on having a few individual students working with us, but instead we had several schools reach out interested in participating in the STEAM project we created to solicit design ideas. We had several classes from Allen Magnet School and Central Christian submit designs, involving over 30 youth. We also have some youth and their families who have expressed willingness to come help with the construction piece when we are ready to finish out the project. 4. Will the program continue? Why or why not? If the program will continue, how will funding be secured for continuation? At this point I am unsure if the program will continue in the future, but I do believe that this process was a great opportunity for local students to get involved and use their knowledge and skills in a real-world situation. I plan to incorporate a similar STEAM project into my education program curriculum options in the future. If we were able to replicate the process in future projects at the zoo, funding would be secured through our operating or project budget. 5. How could the Hutchinson Community Foundation have been more helpful? I cannot think of a way that the Hutchinson Community Foundation could be more helpful—this is a wonderful program and a great opportunity for local youth to get involved in the process of giving back while offering more support to the community. We apologize that we were unable to finish the redesign project before this report; we will be glad to submit a follow-up report upon completion of construction with final outcomes and pictures of the badger’s new habitat. *If available, please attach photographs of the funded project to your email or enclose them if mailing this report. Thank you! Here is a link to view the pictures of our student submitted designs: https://photos.app.goo.gl/w5AMYgWDUbz2E2GY8
