JUMP Days at John Ball Zoo Honor Ruth Jones - Hairston, Celebrate Donors
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Ruth Jones - Hairston imagined a program that would make the John Ball Park Zoo accessible to families regardless of income.
A former John Ball Zoo board member, she was a school principal in the Grand Rapids Public School District.
Many children came to the Zoo as part of school trips. But for many, economic realities made it difficult for the entire family to come together outside of school.
Jones - Hairston wanted to make sure that all families could enjoy the Zoo together as families.
In 1998, the John Ball Zoo JUMP program was piloted and has since sponsored Zoo admission for hundreds of thousands of families.
The program serves families who live in Kent and Ottawa Area Intermediate School Districts, have children five to fourteen years of age present in the household, and meet the income guidelines as defined by the U.S. Department of Education's National School Lunch Program. Each JUMP pass provides admission for up to five family members.
In 2019 alone, the JUMP program gave more than 20,000 families the opportunity to create lifelong memories with a family trip to John Ball Zoo.
John Ball Zoo honored Jones - Hairston, posthumously, and celebrated donors with JUMP Days on Saturday, August 10th and Sunday, August 11th.
Along with recognizing and thanking JUMP donors as guests enter John Ball Zoo, a special bench dedication to honor Jones - Hairston's tireless work for children, including with the JUMP program, was held Sunday, August 10th at 2:00pm in the John Ball Zoo Hobby Farm area.
"We are thankful for the vision and leadership that Ruth Jones - Hairston provided to develop a program that would make the Zoo accessible to families regardless of income," said Mike Lomonaco, John Ball Zoo's Chief Development & Community Engagement Officer.
"Not only does time spent with one another strengthen families, in doing so it also strengthens our community. Ruth knew this well, and she also knew that families are a major influence on a child 's achievement, in school and throughout life," he said.
"Because of Ruth's drive to create a more equitable community by removing accessibility barriers to economically disadvantaged folks, more and more families are able to create meaningful memories, unstructured play, and education experiences; seeding a life - long love of learning, wildlife, and conservation," added Lomonaco.
The continued success of the JUMP program is possible due to the generous financial gifts of donors. For 2019, the generous JUMP donors are AMWAY Corporation, CDV5, Howard Miller Company, Irwin Seating Company, Keller Foundation, Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs, PADNOS, The Rapid and The National Endowment For The Arts.
John Ball Zoo is open daily from 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. and is located on Fulton Ave. one mile west of downtown Grand Rapids.
For more information, visit: www.jbzoo.org , email info@jbzoo.org or call (616) 336 - 4300.
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