Our Crowdfunding Groups
We want to express our gratitude and send a great big THANK YOU to everyone who so generously gave to our Buckeye Funder campaign! At the final moments of the campaign you doubled our original fundraising goal! Total amount raised is $50,000 from 165 donations!! Special thank you to United Titanium Inc. and Professor Emeritus Lowell (Skip) Nault for making this campaign successful beyond all expectations!
The outpouring of support has been overwhelming and your generosity will allow the Bug Zoo on the Wooster campus to be a fun and educational destination for everyone!
Please visit the BugZooWoo's website, https://u.osu.edu/bugzoo/ and click subscribe for updates about open houses and other events made possible through your generous donation!
Thank you,
Jeni Filbrun, Jamie Strange, & Andy Michel
OSU, CFAES, Entomology Department
We are very pleased to announce that, in response to United Titanium Inc.'s challenge, we have received a gift in the amount of $10,000 from Professor Emeritus in Entomology, and original BugMan*, Lowell "Skip" Nault!!
We have surpassed our goal of $25,000 – and with United Titanium’s second match, will have reached $48,010!
We are so grateful to all of our donors, not only our challengers but every one of you who helped us! This is what grassroots fundraising is all about. THANK YOU!!!
Now… for the final 24 hours… can we make it to $50,000, double the original goal? Just $1,990 to go!
*Dr. Nault, Bug Man, creator of the Wooster Bug Zoo:
"The bug zoo is close to my heart. It started with a large tarantula we brought back from Mexico from one of our field trips in 1981. Over the years it was expanded to a few other big and showy arthropods that I kept in one of my Thorne Hall labs. I would often take them with me when I visited schools or outdoor education programs in the area to talk about bugs. It was expanded further when Tom Payne held the big OARDC open house in 1995.
When I moved over to administration in 1996, I relocated the zoo to the first floor of the research services building in a little used coat room. I had the big fish tank installed that now houses fresh water fish (cichlids). A year or so before I retired, the zoo was moved to its current location in Thorne Hall and cared for by Judy Smith and now very professionally curated by Jeni Filbrun."
Our month-long fundraiser ends on Wednesday and we are within reach of our original goal! As of today, we are 99% of our $25,000 goal!
Your support is deeply appreciated, we are honored to have received donations from more than 117 people! These funds will support all-new animal enclosures, interactive and digital displays, much-needed equipment and most exciting, allow us to expand our Arthropod collection. These long-term outreach enhancements will create a truly unique educational experience to promote awareness, dispel myths and ignite curiosity in the unseen world of Arthropods.
While we are just $130 from meeting our original goal of $25,000, we still are trying to achieve the second $10,000 match challenge from United Titanium, Inc. They matched our first $10,000 and if we raise ANOTHER $10,000 they will match it again with an additional $10,000! We have $5,130 to go with just 2 days left!
For Denise Ellsworth, it was Mrs. Shell, a retired science teacher who lived down a wooded path near their childhood home in Pennsylvania's Laurel Highlands. Mrs. Shell was always happy to see them and eager to answer all the questions about whatever gall, acorn or stinging caterpillar (ouch!) they happened to find. She encouraged curiosity and helped them to appreciate the wonder of nature.
Was there (or is there?) a Mrs. Shell in your life, someone who helped shine a light on the natural world? Consider sharing your story with us. We would love to hear from you!
We also encourage you to share our Buckeye Funder campaign on your social media accounts. Every gift will help us share our love of insects with children and adults visiting the Bug Zoo!
Don't forget the match challenge from United Titanium Inc!
UTI matched our first $10,000 in donations and if we raise ANOTHER $10,000 through the end of the campaign they will donate an additional $10,000!
We have $6085 to go with just 1 week left, please help us to achieve the second match challenge!
We’re so close to reaching our goal. Thank you for your incredible support. We appreciate you all so much!
We are so happy to have raised more than $10,000! We are even more pleased to announce that United Titanium Inc., located in Wooster, Ohio, has matched our first $10,000 in donations! Additionally, the company is challenging us to raise ANOTHER $10,000 through the end of the campaign-- which it will match with an additional $10,000!
Please share our fundraiser with your friends and family and accept our heart-felt gratitude for all your generosity and support!
https://Buckeyefunder.osu.edu/bugzoowooster
The first week of our Buckeye Funder campaign has raised $9,040 and will elevate the Bug Zoo on the Wooster Campus to a whole new level! We are overwhelmed and grateful with the support from the community and beyond. The donations we have to date will allow us to start the process of having custom built displays that will house the collection of insects to thrive and for the visitors to see them clearly! This little spiderling raises its hand to thank you for supporting the BugZooWoo's big move into the New Science Building!!
$50 helps the BugZooWoo purchase enough fresh fruits and vegetables for one day and enable visitors to "hatch" ideas of insect importance!
$100 fuels the BugZooWoo with new insect collections to excite visitors with the desire to learn more about the world of insects and allows us to develop a garden full of host plants that will provide leaves for the hungry collection.
$250 transforms old, outdated glass displays to new and dynamic vivariums that offer the animals a healthy environment and visitors a chance to get up close and personal with them (even when physically distanced) to learn how insects rule the world!
$500 allows the BugZooWoo to spread its wings and fly to new levels of high quality education for visitors young and young at heart as we hope to raise funds to add microscopes and large screens to project the importance of insects!
$1,000 transports the BugZooWoo from the collection of static displays to a new level of interactive learning which gives visitors the ability to travel many miles without leaving Ohio!
Since 1963, President’s Club has recognized the most loyal and generous donors to The Ohio State University. These donors offer their philanthropic and leadership support and share a continuing commitment to this great institution.
