Nearly 400 guests were invited to the Nocturnal Jungle, a benefit for the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society. Power couples Ruth and Ted Baum and Michele and Howard Kessler shared a vision for the future of Palm Beach Zoo.
The event included a poolside reception, a gourmet dinner, a presentation of the 2016 Gala Stewardship Award and an announcement of a challenge gift for a new entry facility for the zoo by Ruth and Ted Baum. The challenge grant was not only matched, but increased to $1 million by the Kesslers.
An additional $250,000 recently contributed by the Baums added to the $1.25 million available to be spent in entry improvements at the zoo.
Andrew Aiken, Palm Beach Zoo CEO and president, told the Palm Beach Post, “A commitment of this size marks the beginning of an exciting growth phase.”
The donations will contribute to the development of art and new signs to the front of the property, creating better-defined pathways into the zoo, transforming the ticket office into a larger ticket and information center and adding landscaping around the central fountain.
Ruth Baum, board member and head of the design committee for the Baum Entryway, told the Palm Beach Daily News she could feel the “wow” factor from the new entrance. “It needs an update and it’s going to get one.”