A group of 39 San Juan Cosalá children were treated to a first-ever trip to the Guadalajara Zoo.
The project was triggered when Paula Young took a 12-year-old Ajijic boy on a Lake Chapala Society (LCS) zoo trip. Young knew that the opportunity to travel to Guadalajara and to see the animals would be a great experience for him.
When Pat Baxter heard about the boy’s trip, she met with June Cooper, coordinator of the LCS bus trips. Baxter knew the trip would be perfect for the kids participating in Pathways, the grass-roots school scholarship program she oversees in San Juan Cosalá. The hitch was raising enough money to pay for the bus trip and zoo admissions for the students and their chaperones.
Lakeside residents kicked in enough funds for the students to have a tour of the zoo, plus the Safari train, the gondola ride and to visit the aquarium. Seeing monkeys running freely at their feet and feeding a giraffe from their hands amazed the children. Just as exciting was the discovery that they could have all they wanted to eat at the snack bar.
To show their appreciation to the zoo attendants, bus driver, and chaperones, the children spent the day singing, clapping, cheering and laughing. Participating adults were repeatedly convinced of the value of the experience for the Pathways children.