Vision Bank Renews Support of the Topeka Zoo

In its ongoing commitment to support community endeavors and quality of place, Vision Bank will make a $10,000 donation to support the Topeka Zoo as a zoo Business Partner during a check presentation Friday, March 1, at 2:00 PM. Media are invited to attend. “The Topeka Zoo is a cornerstone of our community,” said Vision Bank President Gary Yager. “Over 200,000 people go there every year. It’s one of the great places where our customers and our community go to play. Vision Bank is proud to support this cause for our community.”

Vision Bank’s support of the Topeka Zoo dates back to 2010. Not long after a giraffe named Hope was born, a Nile River hippopotamus unexpectedly gave birth. The following weekend at a charity auction attended by Yager, the naming rights to the baby hippo were auctioned off. A few days later the baby hippo was named Vision. With Hope and Vision, the Topeka Zoo began an upward trend still being experienced today.

“The support from Vision Bank goes well beyond the financial support,” said Zoo Director Brendan Wiley. “Gary and his team helped form relationships with other community stakeholders and got us into conversations we otherwise would have been left out of.” Vision Bank support has led to other zoo improvements that can be found in the zoo’s Bug Zoo, Camp Cowabunga and the future Kay’s Garden and they have supported numerous fundraising events which help offset operating costs at the zoo.

Business Partnerships are a fun way for local businesses to support the mission of the Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center. Business Partners receive promotional opportunities and access to special events.  They award field trip tickets to local schools and promote access to the zoo. For more information about Topeka Zoo Business Partnerships, contact Fundraising and Event Specialist Shelby Revelle at 785-368-9133 or shelbyr@fotz.org .

Following the check presentation, Gary and Vision will be available for comments and photographs.  When Gary first met Vision, the tiny hippo weighed only seventy pounds. Today, Vision weighs in at approximately 2,700 pounds. The Topeka Zoo would like to extend its thanks to Vision Bank for all of the ways they promote growth in our community.