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Top Stories — 2011 Supporting Our Communities: BNY Mellon employees in Utica help maintain local zoo for future generations August 17, 2011 Thirty-seven BNY Mellon employees recently assisted with the beautification of the Utica Zoo in Utica, New York, dedicating more than 270 hours during two days in June. The volunteers performed tasks including mulching, weeding, fencing and planting to preserve the scenic and educational benefits the zoo provides to the community.
Thirty-seven BNY Mellon employees volunteer for a hard day of work at the Utica Zoo.
This Community Partnership team project was started by Diane Brown, a Trade Specialist/Investigator for CIBC Insourcing, because of her love for zoos. "I have taken my children to more than 30 zoos on the East Coast and want to give the next generation of families a chance to experience what we did," she said. "The Utica Zoo is beautiful, and every person who works there has an extreme passion for it. Unfortunately, we are a small city and the zoo has very limited resources. That is why BNY Mellon's participation in this event is so important." Some volunteers posted and fenced sections of bamboo, while others transplanted foliage to create a butterfly garden. BNY Mellon employees used approximately two tons of mulch in the Children's Zoo and around trees and shrubs throughout the rest of the facility. They also weeded the entire zoo and set up tree branches to be used in the animal exhibits. To teach the importance of volunteer work, children of BNY Mellon employees were also encouraged to participate. Seven children, ranging from 7 to 20 years old, came to assist their parents with the project. This marks the third year that a BNY Mellon team has volunteered at the Utica Zoo. Past projects included power washing, painting and building. "The groundwork is the most common need and where we can often help the most, however, because of limited zoo staffing," Diane said.
Kara Widrig, her son Raine Noreault and Lori Swartz peel off bark as part of a fence-building project.
Through the BNY Mellon Community Partnership program, the volunteers' hours were matched with a $5,400 donation to the zoo.
http://mysource.bnymellon.net/news/2011/news110817_cp-utica-zoo.html
8/17/2011