The Toledo Zoo is home to more than 10,000 individual animals representing over 720 species from around the globe. When you visit, it’s like traveling around the world in a single trip. Therefore, when the kids from Sodt Elementary in Monroe, Michigan had the opportunity to visit through “Companies for Kids,” it was a journey worth writing home about.
Companies for Kids is a program that provides free admission to the Toledo Zoo through the Disadvantaged Children’s Fund. It benefits underprivileged, at-risk and disabled youth, who might not otherwise have the chance to visit the zoo. O-I is a long-time supporter of the Toledo Zoo and has been contributing to Companies for Kids for the past 27 years. “Many of the kids that attend have never been to the zoo, so it is truly a gift that includes an educational element, for each of these kids,” said Jennifer Vancil, Community Relations Specialist.
Sodt Elementary is one of 53 Ohio and Michigan based schools impacted by Companies for Kids where over 4,300 students received free admission in 2017. O-I received special handwritten thank you letters with drawings of their favorite animals from each of the Sodt students for our generosity in making this special outing possible.
O-I’s partnership with the Toledo Zoo and our commitment to community is also demonstrated in our 10-year, million-dollar investment in the Pacific Reef Exhibit, and our collaboration with their Terra Recycling Program, Wild Toledo and Monarch Butterfly Release Program.
We continue to strive to be responsible, safe and active in the community – it’s a core part of who we are. We are creating a best in class organization where our values and behaviors are our compass for achieving social excellence and supporting the Toledo Zoo is one example of how we will achieve this.
