|
Campaign to help 'Bart' is already reaching
new heights
By BILL WHITAKER
At long last, Abilene is poised to become known for something
in 1997 other than sex-crazed crape myrtles and the House of Yahweh.
Early indications are "Bart," the Abilene zoo's lonesome
giraffe, is on his way to becoming a national media star.
Only days after a campaign to purchase a mate for Bart was
hastily conceived by several sympathetic women in this year's
Leadership Abilene class, Bart's story was being played up in
no less than the Dallas Morning News.
Headline over Bart's photo: "Spotted male seeks tall partner."
Bart is reportedly even getting his very own web page, along
with a handy e-mail address so computer-savvy youngsters with
a heart of gold can mail off their best wishes. (As of deadline,
though, Bart's web page was still not operating.)
The campaign arose after some young mothers in Leadership Abilene
began discussing the death of the zoo's female giraffe Oct. 12.
The idea was not only to keep Bart from being so lonely but also
to enliven what has been the zoo's biggest attraction.
It's an idea that caught fire right off. After all, with a
long bridge stretching head-high over the giraffe quarters, people
visiting the zoo have regularly interacted with giraffes like
they have with no other wild animal.
A FAVORITE OF KIDS
Although the Leadership Abilene press conference to announce
full details of the campaign wasn't set till this week, much is
already out: Children are invited to purchase part of a giraffe
mate for Bart at the rate of $5 an inch.
Those with more of a budget - say, an adoring mother or father
- can donate $100 for a spot, while a wise, old grandfather or
grandmother might even donate $1,000 for the animal's sizeable
neck.
"I'm afraid we're going to inch ourselves to death,"
campaign official Janet Ardoyno joked halfway through Christmas
Carousel last weekend, in between trying to keep track of each
child's name as $5 here and $10 there came in. "But last
night I came home with $2,100.
"I think there'll be more, too, especially as word gets
out."
Proof of the campaign's appeal surfaced in Friday's tragic
death of Jarrett Forehand, the 18-month-old son and only child
of Gary and Jeannie Forehand. Jarrett's death reportedly was due
to an upper respiratory problem.
In placing an obituary in Sunday's Reporter-News, the parents
asked that, "due to Jarrett's interests, memorials may be
made to the 'New Giraffe Fund' at the Abilene Zoological Gardens,
2070 Zoo Lane, Nelson Park, Abilene, 79602."
Sunday morning, fellow worshippers at the huge Sunday school
class the Forehands usually attend at Southern Hills Church of
Christ responded to this appeal with great zest. Jeff Upp, who
with wife Randa, is a good friend of the Forehands, said several
hundred dollars was raised.
And, yes, he said the Forehands were most serious about giraffes
being a fascination for the 18-month-old boy.
"They said Jarrett liked giraffes a lot," Jeff told
me Sunday afternoon. "He liked to go to the zoo and always
looked forward to the giraffes. They just thought that, instead
of flowers, if people wanted to give, they could give to the giraffe
fund."
MARK THE SPOT
If a significant amount is raised in Jarrett's name, a plaque
in Jarrett's memory might even be erected - a wonderful notion
that further personalizes the bond between the zoo and the public.
Janet Ardoyno, among those helping solicit donations during
last weekend's Christmas Carousel, said she was astonished at
the memorial suggested by Jarrett's parents: "I mean, it
just took my breath away, the idea that they want any memorial
for Jarrett given for the giraffe."
But by weekend's end, Janet was no longer so surprised. By
her own estimate, grandparents were almost as anxious to give
in the name of their own grandchildren: "They see it as something
they can do that's also permanent."
The campaign, which hopes to raise the $20,000 required to
purchase a giraffe and have her sent to Abilene this very winter,
has prompted some unusual questions, including from a woman who
wanted to buy a spot on the new giraffe for $100.
Problem: She wanted some kind of certificate of where the spot
was.
When asked why, she replied: "Well, I need to know because
I have a very bright youngster and he'll want to know!"
Who says the youth of today don't have inquiring minds?
Bill Whitaker, who hopes Bart has a Merry Christmas and will
at last have a mate to neck with, can be reached at 676-6732.
E-mail: WTWARN@aol.com.
Send a Letter to the Editor about This
Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
Send the URL (Address)
of This Story to A Friend:
Copyright ©1996 or
1997, Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps. Publications
|