Bay Area AAZK

A big THANK YOU to all that supported us at our first fundraiser for the year and especially Oakland Zoo for not only hosting, but also matching the proceeds up to $5,000!  “From the Heart” was so much fun and the mad hatter theme was a big hit.  The costumes looked amazing, which made the contest difficult!  The two organizations that won all of the proceeds from the evening are the Bay Area Puma Project and the Hawaiian Monk Seal Hospital.  Congratulations!  We will notify you all very soon about how much money was raised.

Stay tuned for our first BAAAZK workshop.

On Saturday, the 22nd of this month BAAAZK will be having its annual “From the Heart” fundraiser at Oakland Zoo.  The party theme this year is Mad Hatter!

OZ has generously offered to match up to $5,000!!!

All of the proceeds from this event are donated to the top two conservation organizations of the night.  These organizations are nominated and represented by posters that YOU make!  Winners are determined by votes: event attendees receive voting tokens and BAAAZK members receive extra voting tokens.  Last year’s winners were the Giraffe Conservation Foundation and the California Condor Recovery Program. $20 per person includes entertainment, food, drinks, a silent auction, raffle and a costume contest (best individual, pair and group) with prizes.

If you would like to nominate a deserving conservation organization, please email us with your name, facility (you don’t have to be a full-time keeper!), and the organization you’d like to win by February 15th.  Posters should include the organization’s mission, methods, accomplishments, goals, photos, and can include its history or other important information.  Please bring this poster to the event.

Please post the 2014 From the Heart Flyer at your facilities and email to your friends and family.

Lastly, be sure to pay your membership dues!  There is an added benefit to being a chapter member this year- access to AAZK Online.  The code for a free one-year membership (worth $25) will be emailed to those who have paid by February 11th.  For those who pay later, you will still receive the code.  For your convenience, you can now pay your dues online!  Please see our Membership Page for more information.

From the Heart Fundraiser sum up:
Date: Saturday, Feb. 22nd
Time: 7pm-10pm
Where: Oakland Zoo, Zimmer Auditorium
Cost: $20 per person
Theme: Mad-Hatter

See you February 22nd!

We are now collecting membership dues for the year 2014.  It is $10 for National AAZK members and $20 for non-National AAZK members.

There are many benefits to being a BAAAZK chapter member, but our officers are most excited about your newest benefit-  access to AAZK Online: Collaborative Learning Environment for the year 2014.  All chapter members will be sent a special code to have access to AAZK’s online professional development content, which includes select workshops from past AAZK Conferences and advanced and fundamental content for those interested in specific topics related to animal health, behavior, communication, education, husbandry, nutrition, professional growth and safety.  A one-year subscription to AAZK Online is $25, but is FREE if you are a BAAAZK chapter member.

For your convenience, you can now pay your membership dues online!  Please see our Membership page to pay through PayPal or view other payment options.  We will send out the special AAZK Online code and registration information February 11th, so pay your dues ASAP to make sure you get on our 2014 Members Email List.

It has been a very successful year for BAAAZK and it would not have been possible without your support. It has always been our mission to:

1. Advance excellence in the animal keeping profession

2. Foster effective communication beneficial to animal care

3. Support deserving conservation projects and

4. Promote the preservation of natural resources and wildlife.

One of the ways this was accomplished was our chapter’s sponsorship of Chopsticks for Salamanders, which advocates reusable chopsticks to protect natural resources and primarily salamanders.  For the first time, promotional videos were created for fundraisers.  These videos reached Bob Cisneros, President of the American Association of Zoo Keepers.  He loved them!  We held two incredible fundraisers: “From the Heart” (FTH) and “Dodging For Rhinos” (DFR).  FTH broke a five-year record, raising nearly $6,000 thanks to all of you and a very generous donation from Oakland Zoo.  All of the proceeds were awarded to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation and the California Condor Recovery Program.  DFR was the very first of it’s kind and the concept was a huge hit with zoo keepers from across the country at this past National AAZK Conference.  We held two Mini Conferences this year with a total of 12 wide-ranging presenters at CuriOdyssey and San Francisco Zoo.  In addition, we have increased interest and participation on all of our social media pages.

Moving forward, we will discontinue chapter meetings and instead, increase chapter member benefits by offering workshops throughout the year.  Chapter members will be given priority for workshops that have limited spacing.  Chapter members will also continue to quality for our $500 AAZK Conference scholarship, qualify to run for office, vote for officers, receive extra voting tokens at FTH and have discounted BAAAZK merchandise.  For 2014, we will continue improving our social media efforts and making our fundraisers and mini conference bigger and better.  We can’t wait!

The officers for 2014 are:

Public Relations Officer: Erik Beckman (Oakland Zoo)

Liaison: Shana Jensen (Oakland Zoo)

Secretary: Carrie Henika (Oakland Zoo and Happy Hollow Park and Zoo)

Treasurer: Jason Loy (Oakland Zoo)

Vice President: Jennifer Hopkirk (San Francisco Zoo and CuriOdyssey)

President: Rachael Rufino (CuriOdyssey)

Thank you again for your ongoing support and participation in our chapter.  All of our successes as a chapter are made possible because of you and we look forward to the new year.

We have decided on a date and them for next year’s From the Heart fundraiser! 2014’s event will be held at the Oakland Zoo again on Saturday, February 22nd, from 7-10pm. And the theme…..Mad Hatter Tea Party! We hope to see you all there!

Dodging for Rhinos is coming up on August 10th (5 days away!) at The Vibe in Foster City, from 7-10pm. Sign up for team now, or if you prefer to just come and hang out at The Vibe, you are welcome to do that too. Cost is $25, we hope to see you there!

Just a reminder of Bay Area AAZK’s second mini-conference. It will be held at CuriOdyssey in San Mateo on Saturday, July 13th, beginning at 5pm. More details to follow, but if you are interested in presenting at the mini-conference, please send an abstract to bayareaaazk@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing you there!

A big thank you to everyone who supported us at From the Heart! It was a fun night with good food, great costumes, and some sweet dance moves! And congratulations to our two winners of the night, the Giraffe Conservation Foundation and the California Condor Recovery Program!

We hope to see everyone at From the Heart on Saturday March 16th, 7-10pm. This year’s event will be at Oakland Zoo, and the theme is sci-fi, so come dressed to impressed! The cost is $20, and there will be food, drinks, games, a silent auction, a raffle, and a costume contest! We look forward to seeing you there!