The Emporia Friends of the Zoo rounded up a tremendous crowd and fundraising total with its annual Zoo Roundup Auction Friday night.
In total, EFOZ raised $131,000 to support zoo initiatives and programming. In addition to the annual live auction at the Lyon County Fairgrounds Anderson Building, this year’s fundraiser also included a new virtual auction, which was designed to help increase the reach and participation of the event outside of the immediate Emporia area.
Those efforts certainly bore tremendous fruit in the opinion of Zoo Director Brenda Young, who spoke with KVOE News just ahead of the start of the live auction Friday evening.
Between the virtual and live components, nearly 200 items were on the auction block, thanks to the generosity of local donors. EFOZ Vice President and auction co-chair Jeanie Jenkins says she was not surprised by the number of items donated, saying that when it comes to supporting the zoo, very little persuasion is ever needed.
Friday was the 32nd annual edition of the EFOZ Roundup Auction
