A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Phoenix Zoo

Michelle Clarke took her two young sons to the zoo to wear them out. Well, to see the animals – and to wear them out.

She laughs about it now and reflects that the Phoenix Zoo turned out to be a great discovery.

When Clarke arrived in the Valley six years ago with her husband, Dr. Henry Clarke, 2-year-old Alexander and 3-week-old Tristan, she wasn’t so sure she wanted to leave her home state of New York.

She had grown up on Staten Island and, after graduating from Princeton University, worked hard for 10 years to establish RHG, Inc., a successful Manhattan-based technology-consulting business, which she still owns. Her husband, whom she met at Princeton, had accepted a position as an orthopedic surgeon at Mayo Clinic Hospital.

     The Clarke family enjoy fall at Disneyland

But a funny thing happened on the way to wearing out Alexander and Tristan. Michelle learned about the zoo’s onsite conservation programs and educational classes for children. As a result, Alexander and Tristan – who are now 8 and 6 – and their sister Evangeline, 4, and brother Sebastian, 3, consider the zoo a kind of second home, where they have learned to care about the natural world, to make treats for the animals and value endangered species. Sound a little unbelievable?

The Clarke children don’t just play store. They play Museum Gift Shop. “They will set up the shop and have me come in to buy something. They don’t have any idea about prices,” Michelle says, “but I’ll come in and say, ‘My, that’s expensive.’ “       

                                                                                           Sebastian at Farm Tots Class

Their answers are quick: “I want you to know that 40 percent goes back to conservation. Purchasing this gift will go back to the black-footed ferret.” On another day, they might be saving the Arabian Oryx.

In New York, Clarke was on the junior council of the Museum of Natural History. Seeing the experience as one that introduced her to philanthropy, when she arrived in Arizona, she was looking for a similar opportunity. “Younger couples need to understand the benefits of philanthropy. What you have is, in part, due to the fact that other people have been generous.

“I didn’t leave Manhattan easily, but now I love Phoenix. Part of it is getting involved in the zoo, the Arizona Science Center, the Heard Museum and Desert Botanical Garden.”

Through the Science & Culture Connection, a 501c3 organization incorporated in Arizona in 2009, Clarke contributes to all four organizations.

This year, she chaired Rendez-Zoo on October 15. In its second year, the event featured delectables from some of the Valley’s leading chefs, paired with wines and cocktails, as guests browsed the silent auction, followed by dinner and dancing under the stars.

Rendez-Zoo is Phoenix Zoo’s major fundraising event. Clarke points out that many people don’t realize Phoenix Zoo, which is the second most visited place in Arizona (the Grand Canyon is No. 1), is a not-for-profit. It receives no public dollars.

Organizers moved from Zoofari, the former fundraising party, to Rendez-Zoo, to connect with their donors and the zoo’s mission to provide experiences that inspire people and motivate them to care for the natural world.

Clarke brings energy and fresh ideas. “It’s been a ton of fun. I’ve been able to bring my background to it. I do everything systematically. I look at it as a business,” she says.

       Evangeline and Sebastian make enrichment for the animals

       at a Wild Art class.

One inspiration came from the classes her children take at the zoo. “At the end of every class they make an enrichment project for the animals. One day, they filled a pumpkin with produce and a palm frond. It was eclectic, but pretty.”

This sparked Clarke’s imagination. The committee partnered with Phoenix Art Institute and the Design School at Arizona State University. Local farmers donated and delivered fresh produce the morning of the event. About 80 students made edible centerpieces for the animals to enjoy the following day. Every table sported a unique centerpiece inspired by a group of animals.  

One zoo resident couldn't believe his good fortune. "We offered one of the pumpkins from Rendezoo to 'Ali,' our male Aldabra tortoise," says Paula Swanson, the zoo's manager of reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates. "He stared at a peach that was inserted in to the pumpkin for a few minutes before starting to eat. I wasn’t sure if he hadn’t had a peach before and was trying to figure out what it was, or if he loves peaches and couldn’t believe he was getting one. I suspect the latter because instead of taking a small taste, he started taking big bites and was gobbling it up as fast as he could. He ended up with peach juice and skin all over his face and if he had lips, he would have been grinning from ear to ear."                                                                                                                                                                                                                

“It requires everyone to be part of a community,” Clarke says. “The zoo has been a huge learning experience for my kids. I came to the zoo to make my kids tired. It is a fantastic place to exhaust your children, but the more I learned, the more I realized the conservation and education programs are really what the zoo is all about.” – C. Miller