Oakland Zoo and Oaklandish…Partnering in Our Great City!

A Different Kind of Zoo Partnership

When you think about Oakland Zoo, seeing animals like the elephants, giraffes or tigers might come to mind. Some people might also think of spending time with family and friends outdoors when it comes to the Zoo. Others, especially kids, might give our popular summer ZooCamp program a shout out. And those who dig a little deeper into our mission may think about our role in wildlife conservation and saving species from extinction. Yes, we’re proud to be known for our expert animal husbandry practices, animal welfare initiatives and conservation programs throughout the world. But do you think about our role in contributing to the economic and social vitality of our community in our great city of Oakland? Probably not. We partner with a number of community-based organizations and local, like-minded businesses to support a thriving quality of life in our region.

For example, we support Oakland Unified School District teachers with zoo passes while providing free or discounted programs to Title 1 schools; we organize a summer internship program for local youth (thanks to support from Pacific Gas & Electric); we donate 10,000 zoo passes for children through the Oakland Athletics Community Fund every year; and we give local seniors access to the zoo through summer free days and host the United Seniors of Oakland and Alameda County’s Healthy Living Festival that promotes health and wellness every September.

Partnering for Civic Pride

Recently, we’ve had the opportunity to count Oaklandish as a new partner. We both share the goals of creating civic-pride and appreciation of Oakland. In their own words, the mission of Oaklandish “is to spread “local love” by way of our civic pride-evoking tees and accessories, while creating quality inner city jobs for locals, and giving back to the people and places that maintain our city’s trailblazer spirit.”

Oakland Zoo launched its first line of apparel with Oaklandish, showcasing the only urban gondola of its kind in California with the opening of our California Trail project. Just like Oaklandish, our civic pride soars sky high! Come check out our Oaklandish-designed new t-shirts in the Zoo’s gift shop.

So next time you think about Oakland Zoo, think a little differently about how we contribute back to the community and create economic and social value for the region. Stop by Oakland Zoo or an Oaklandish retail shop to capture some “local love” from two thriving Oakland institutions that truly love this great city of ours.

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