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Minnesota Zoo Foundation Receives $25,000 Matching Gift Challenge from Valspar Foundation for “Give to the Max” Day on November 15
Zoo will benefit from the community’s online donations through GiveMN.org

Apple Valley, MINN – November 1, 2012 – The Minnesota Zoo Foundation is one of many nonprofit organizations throughout the state that  will once again ask Minnesotans to display their record-breaking generosity by donating to their favorite charities online at GiveMN.org during the fourth annual “Give to the Max Day” on November 15.

Money donated to the Minnesota Zoo Foundation will directly benefit the Zoo’s mission to connect people, animals, and the natural world.

“We are so grateful to our donors who gave more than $25,000 on Give to the Max Day in 2011,” said Melissa Lindsay, executive director of the Minnesota Zoo Foundation. “Thanks to them, the Zoo continues to provide award-winning wildlife conservation and education programs for more than 1.3 million annual visitors, while preserving wildlife species for future generations.  Our goal this year is to double the amount raised in 2011, and we thank our donors in advance for helping make that happen.””

This year, the Minnesota Zoo Foundation has received a $25,000 matching gift pledge from the Valspar Foundation.  “This is a wonderful opportunity for donors to double the impact of their gifts,” continues Lindsay.  “We’re confident that our supporters will help us reach and surpass our goal.”

During last year’s Give to the Max Day, more than 47,000 donors logged on to GiveMN.org. The result: more than $13.4 million raised for almost 4,000 Minnesota nonprofits, whose missions range from feeding the hungry, to protecting the environment, to promoting the arts. GiveMN.org hopes to again raise millions for thousands of nonprofits, showcasing Minnesota’s unparalleled generosity to the world. In 2012, GiveMN will offer several incentives to encourage donor participation on Give to the Max Day.  Community members can support the Minnesota Zoo Foundation and other local nonprofits and help these charities win prize grants up to $12,500 as top donation earners. During Give to the Max Day, the Minnesota Zoo will be eligible for prize grants in the form of hourly “Golden Tickets” – an hourly drawing to add $1,000 to a donor’s donation, randomly selected from donors who gave during each hour of the event. One donor giving to a nonprofit and one donor to a K-12 public school will be drawn in the evening for a Super-sized Golden Ticket of $10,000 added to their donations.

About the Minnesota Zoo
Discover wildlife and wild places at the Minnesota Zoo. Located on 485 beautiful acres just minutes from the Mall of America, the Zoo is home to more than 4,200 animals from around the world including grizzly bears, tigers, penguins, and monkeys.  More than one million guests each year experience the Russian Far East, a tropical rain forest, a marine center, northern tundra, woodland forest, and a family farm. The Minnesota Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and provides award-winning recreational, educational and conservation programs, locally, nationally and internationally.

The Minnesota Zoo is located in Apple Valley, just minutes south of Mall of America. For more information, call 952.431.9500 or visit mnzoo.org. The Minnesota Zoo is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and an institutional member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).