Prepare for campus to become a bit wilder because this Friday, April 20^th, from noon to one in the Findlay Student Center Ballroom, students will get the chance to come face to face with animals from the Dickerson Park Zoo.

Lauren Pyle, one of the young women involved in hosting the event, is extremely excited to inform students all about her Summit Group Project and how it is able to bring the wildlife she is so passionate about to campus for others to experience and learn about. The event is entirely free and everyone is encouraged to attend.

“All Drury students as well as the outside community members are welcome to come. It is a drop by event to hold some of the animals (reptiles, chinchilla, etc). We are hoping to break the stigma associated with some zoos and have the zookeepers talk about conservation efforts they are making. There will also be information about volunteering and internships but it is mainly about educating students on animal ethics,” said Pyle

Lauren Pyle addresses how involved her Summit Group has been with the Zoo itself and their education department when it comes to reaching out to college students. She encourages any students interested in living in Summit Park and creating their own Summit Park project to do it- it requires a good amount of work but it is super rewarding.

“To begin with, Summit Park is a program where students pick a local non-profit organization and work with them to do a community project as well as 15 community service hours per semester.I joined the group after they had decided to do the zoo because they wanted to work with animals. The other proud members of the group are Lauren Slamb, Alyse Phillips, and Genevieve Travers. For the first semester, we helped redecorate the children’s maze at the zoo in order to make it more colorful. We also both semesters have shadowed the zoo-keepers and helped with the pre-planned member’s night events. This semester, we wanted to raise more awareness to the Drury community. We partnered with SUB for the free day at the zoo for Drury students although the weather didn’t cooperate with us. We are promoting these events and bringing these animals to campus to promote the zoo and everything they do for the community,” said Pyle.

This event is perfect for those who adore animals or would simply like to learn more about them and how the Dickerson Park Zoo influences and caters the community and the animals that live in it.

“I have definitely grown into even more of an animal appreciator by helping out there. The zookeepers know all of the animals’ names and even had a funeral when one of the hippos passed away. Personally, I would like to bring a lion in but obviously that is not realistic. Hopefully, this can help destress some people before finals,” said Pyle.

For Information regarding the event on April 20^th, feel free to check out the Summit Group’s Project event page https://www.facebook.com/events/190915131527711/191207001498524/?notif_t=plan_mall_activity&notif_id=1523506142850023 and for any addition questions or concerns, contact Lauren Pyle at Lpyle@drury.edu