Interested in zoology or animal sciences? Looking for a fun volunteer opportunity? Do you simply love animals?

There’s a great opportunity coming up this weekend, when the Phillips Park Zoociety hosts an open house for volunteers who want to support the zoo and its animals.

The Phillips Park Zoociety is an independent organization of dedicated volunteers who work to support the mission and the activities of the Phillips Park Zoo. Zoociety members can participate in the life of the zoo in many different ways, from developing creative fundraising campaigns for the animals’ environments to actively volunteering in the zoo.

The Phillips Park Zoociety will host an open house from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, at the Stover Visitors Center, 1000 Ray Moses Drive.

Volunteers will learn more about the impact they can have on the lives of animals at the zoo, meet the new zoo manager and find out about many different volunteer opportunities at the zoo, including:

• Active volunteers, who assist zookeepers in the reptile house, building construction projects, and perform garden and landscaping tasks.
• Special events volunteers who help plan and produce special events.
• Zoociety board members who serve as stewards and decision-makers for the zoociety.

Zoociety is particularly looking for volunteers with construction experience who can assist with inventive projects for animal enrichment and improvements around the zoo, and enthusiastic and talented fundraisers, who will have a direct impact on the quality of life for our animals.

Benefits of membership in the Zoociety include a sneak peak of new animals before public viewing, reciprocal membership at other zoos and a quarterly newsletter.

With more than 100 animals representing more than 40 species of mostly North American wildlife, the Phillips Park Zoo is committed to connecting people to the natural world that lives right in their back yard.

For more information on the open house or on joining the Zoociety, visit www.phillipsparkaurora.com or all the Phillips Park Zoo’s main office at 630-256-3860.

About the City of Aurora

Located 35 miles west of Chicago, Aurora is the second largest city in Illinois with a population of 200,456. Aurora is known as the “City of Lights” because it was one of the first in the nation to illuminate its streets with electric lights.  Situated along the Fox River and the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway (Interstate 88), the city extends 46 square miles encompassing Kane, DuPage, Kendall and Will counties. Aurora also is home to six public school districts and seven townships.  For the latest news, access to an archive of past news releases or to follow the city on Facebook or Twitter, visit the city’s website at www.aurora-il.org.