For Blaze Credit Union CEO Dan Stoltz, supporting Como Park Zoo & Conservatory is all about making Minnesotans’ lives better
Meeting Sparky the sea lion is a memory that connects Minnesotans of all ages. Ever since Archie Brand’s seal training show made its debut at Como Zoo in 1956, the splashy aquatics show has been a fixture at Como, evolving through seven decades (and seven different Sparkys) to reflect an ever-deepening understanding of the fierce intelligence, fascinating behavior, and natural adaptations that make marine mammals so amazing.
As Sparky and all the inhabitants of Como Harbor get set to dive into Como Zoo’s busy spring and summer season, Como Friends talked with one of her biggest fans, Dan Stoltz, the CEO of Blaze Credit Union, the member-owned cooperative that’s been the corporate sponsor of the Blaze Sparky Show since 2022.
Tell us your own Como story. Did you visit when you were a kid?
Como is a really special place for me. I have so many great memories of my mom and dad putting us kids in the car to visit Como Zoo, getting up close to the animals, having a family picnic on the grounds, and seeing the Sparky show, of course. Growing up on the East Side of St. Paul, Como was an affordable place where we could come and have an awesome day. Now I’m blessed to have 11 grandchildren and we still come here regularly. I love seeing it all through their eyes now.
How did you become a Como Friends supporter?
Being involved in the community is something that came from my upbringing, and the idea that life’s about giving, not getting. That’s something we believe in at Blaze, really leaning into organizations that are impactful and influential in our community. Through friends, my wife and I started coming to the Sunset Affair gala and getting to know more about what was happening here. The fact that Como is free is important to this community. But the fact that it’s free and a first-class organization is what’s really amazing. That’s why they need local businesses and corporations to step up and say, “We want to be part of that.” When the opportunity to support the Sparky the sea lion show came up, it was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever made in my career. It was just a perfect marriage.
Why was that? What about Como’s mission resonated so much with you?
Many companies have really long mission statements and value statements, but ours is two words: Better lives. Our core mission is not about making more money, it’s not about being the biggest, we just want to help make peoples’ lives better every day. That’s what Como Park Zoo & Conservatory does every day—it’s about bettering Minnesotans’ lives. You see it every time you visit, the diversity here, people of all ages, and from all walks of life, from the metro area, or from outside of it. Como just feels like a place that really pulls us all together.
Corporate sponsorships are an obvious benefit for nonprofits like Como Friends, but how do they benefit businesses like yours?
Putting on my CEO hat here for a second, we just feel like it’s a duty of organizations and businesses to give back to the communities that they serve. It is a pay-it-forward commitment, and so we as a company are always looking for organizations that are really making large impacts on people’s lives and Como Park Zoo & Conservatory checked all of those boxes. On the promotional side, we want Blaze to be seen investing visibly in things that matter, but that’s not because we expect an immediate return on investment. But I think there is a kind of respect that comes from the public when they see that your business is investing in the community and doing things for the right reasons. All generations care about this, but it seems to be especially true with the younger generation, who are looking to do business with companies that really care.
Como is nearly 130 years old, and the Sparky the sea lion tradition goes back nearly 70 years. What do you think keeps people coming back?
I think it’s that anyone can visit, any day, any time. In the economy right now, the two key words are volatility and uncertainty. But at Como, you can count on it. When you walk into the Zoo to see the animals, or visit the Conservatory to see the gardens, you just know it’s going to be a great experience.
A Kaleidoscope of Connections: Conservation for Monarch Butterflies
Sunday, April 26 | 12:00 PM | Visitor Center Auditorium
Presented by Katie-Lyn Puffer, Monarch Joint Venture
Como Friends members are invited to take a deeper dive into the fascinating world of monarch butterflies at a special conservation weekend sponsored by Xcel Energy at Como Park Zoo & Conservatory. Learn about their life cycle, population challenges, and how you can help support pollinators at home.
Join Katie-Lyn Puffer on Sunday, April 26, for a presentation, Q&A session, and trivia! The education manager for Monarch Joint Venture, Katie will be presenting her extensive knowledge about monarch butterfly biology and ecology, and how monarch conservation efforts through organizations such as Monarch Joint Venture also benefit people, other wildlife, and the environment.
Monarchs have captured the hearts of many. Discover ways to help this beloved insect in your own backyard. During this presentation, you’ll learn about the monarch life cycle, their population decline, and ways to help, including gardening—what to think about when planting for pollinators and the plants to include.
Note: Please bring your own lunch to enjoy during the Lunch & Learn. This presentation is designed for an adult audience.
Katie-Lyn Puffer oversees and coordinates MJV’s education and outreach programs, which include professional development programs for teachers and educators, local programming, and public courses both virtual and in-person. She graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Environmental Sciences Policy and Management. Before MJV, Katie-Lyn worked as an informal educator at museums, zoos, nature centers, and park systems where she led and coordinated summer camps, field trips, and outdoor education programs for all ages. In her free time, she can be found hiking, camping, reading, knitting, and spending time with her son.
Community Lunch & Learn
An Ocean of Change: How Climate Change and Commercial Fishing Impact African Penguins
Saturday, February 21 | Noon
Como Friends members are invited to “Waddle Into Action” at a special conservation weekend sponsored by Xcel Energy at Como Park Zoo & Conservatory!
Join Aquatics Zookeeper Kelley Dinsmore for an in-depth discussion on the dramatic decline of African penguins in the wild over the past 50 years. Learn how programs like AZA SAFE and SANCCOB are working to stabilize and reverse this trend, and hear firsthand about penguin conservation efforts in South Africa.
Bring your lunch, settle in, and get an inside look at caring for African penguins, both in the wild and right here at Como.
*The content and format of the Community Lunch & Learn is specifically geared toward an adult audience.
Seats for the Lunch & Learn are very limited, with only 60 places reserved for members. Advance RSVP required.
Sign up below—if the form does not appear, please call Como Friends at 651-487-8229 to join the waitlist.
Community Lunch & Learn
Show you care this Valentine’s season with a very special delivery for the animal lovers in your life! Get your animal sponsorship sweetheart deal on this adorable trio of sloth, flamingo, or polar bear mini-plush—plus a Valentine’s card and gluten-free candy—for only $25. A great gift for nature lovers of all ages, sweeten the deal with two for just $45, or three for $65.
To get your last-minute Valentine’s minis, please visit the Como Friends Gift Shop at Como Park Zoo & Conservatory!
Send an un-fur-gettable Valentine’s Day delivery to the animal lovers in your life with this adorable trio of specially priced mini plush animals. For just $25, this sweetheart deal includes your choice of mini plush tiger, flamingo, or polar bear plus a Valentine’s card and candy hearts. Or sweeten the deal with two for just $45, or three for $65.
February 9 is the last day to order online for delivery. Stop by Garden Safari Gifts at Como to pick up your Valentine’s package through February 14!
For orders of two or more minis, please list additional animals in the comment field.
From polar bear medical procedures, to expert care for the gardens, to preserving and improving Como’s historic campus, your support made it all happen in 2024.
With her 30th birthday just celebrated, Nan is the grand dame of animal ambassadors at Como Zoo, continuing her reign as the oldest polar bear in North America. And thanks to a series of medical tests and procedures made possible this year with your support for Como Friends, this feisty alpha female is still living her best life in Polar Bear Odyssey with roommates Neil and Kulu.
Animal care is a constant at Como Zoo, but planning a full medical assessment for a polar bear is even more demanding, says senior keeper Allison Jungheim. Last spring, Nan presented with a short list of potential health problems that keepers and veterinarians decided to investigate. “Because we knew we wanted to get as much information as we could during the short time she’d be under anesthesia, we worked really hard to make sure we had every piece in place,” says Jungheim. During the 90-minute procedure in July, a dental team took a close look at her teeth, a veterinary team excised a mass on the side of her body, and another shaved a portion of her lower body to diagnose the vulvar dermatitis that was bothering her.
“We were able to get so much done that there was even time to give her a vaccination, and to collect a blood sample for a polar bear thyroid study they’re coordinating at the Oregon Zoo,” says Jungheim, who also serves as the Association of Zoos and Aquariums coordinator for the North American Polar Bear Species Survival Plan.
Providing state-of-the-art veterinary support to animals like Nan is just one of the things your support for Como Friends helped to make possible in 2024. Here’s a look:
Greening the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory: For more than a century, Como has inspired the public with gorgeous gardens and floral displays, and now we’re helping highlight the beauty of sustainability. Thanks to contributions to Como Friends, horticulturists at the Conservatory have been introducing drought and heat-tolerant perennials and pollinator-friendly plants throughout Como’s campus. Your support also helps to provide the plant materials and professional expertise behind Como’s five seasonal flower shows, ensuring that the Sunken Garden is always Minnesota’s most beautiful room, no matter the season.
All Ages Animal Care: With tiny new arrivals like Amur tiger cubs Marisa and Maks and willowy nyala newborn Walter, Como Zoo’s keepers and veterinary staff had their hands full helping this year’s zooborns get off to a great start. Thanks to Como’s new on-site veterinary team, made possible in part by your support for Como Friends, the campus also had the resources and expertise to provide specialized care to adolescents like Ivy the giraffe and older animals like Mumford the lion, ensuring that Como Zoo’s animal ambassadors get the cutting edge care they need to thrive at every stage of life.
Connecting with Conservation: Promoting the value of conservation is Como’s mission, and this year, your gifts helped get the message out far and wide. Whether it’s telling a new story about the oak savanna ecosystem in Como Zoo’s bison habitat, or sending our intrepid education specialists to the Galapagos Islands to participate in field-based conservation and to meet tortoises in the wild, your support helps Como to connect with conservation efforts at home and around the world, while offering environmental education curriculum that teaches visitors about the profound connections between animals, plants and people.
Preserving and Maintaining Como’s Historic Campus: From the iconic Palm Dome to the quiet corners of the Charlotte Partridge Ordway Japanese Garden, nearly every part of Como’s campus has a story to tell. In 2024, your contributions advanced maintenance on high-priority projects to preserve both historic and new assets at Como. Your support helped Como move forward on needed maintenance, from pruning tropical trees, to repaving pathways for better accessibility, to updating the venting that keeps Como’s Orchid Room in bloom.
Free Admission for Every Visitor: Como visitors came back in a big way in 2024, and your support made it possible. Now on pace to welcome more than two million visitors by the end of the year, Como’s free admission ensures that everyone in our community has access to the wonders of nature, every day of the year.
As a Como Friends supporter, you can take credit for all of this and more at Minnesota’s most visited cultural institution. Thank you for helping to make 2024 another year of growth at Como Park Zoo & Conservatory!
Como Friends donors Erin and Matt Wach have made a commitment to investing in the open-door policy that serves nearly 2 million visitors every year
“We were just out of graduate school, unemployed, and coming to Como was like a really great date that we didn’t have to plan for, or worry about,” says Erin. “It was a way to have fun, and feel calm, without facing any financial barriers. I think Como helped us through that time.”
Tell us your own Como story: Did you visit as a kid? What brings you to Como now?
Erin: I grew up in the western suburbs, but my mom was from St. Paul and she and my grandmother always brought me here. My grandma loved the plants, my mom loved the animals, and coming to Como makes it easy to get a little bit of both.
Como Friends supporters often get the chance to take part in sneak peek experiences to learn more about animals and plants. Have you taken advantage of any of those opportunities, and what have you learned in the process?
Erin: Going to member preview events and fundraisers like Sunset Affair has been awesome because you get more exposure to things that you might not see during the day when the crowds are here. How often do you get to spend time in a room with gorillas, and literally just have them watching you eat your dinner? And if you bring your friends, it’s kind of like having your own private party, which has been really cool. The unique nature of those experiences definitely inspires us to support Como.
Many people wait until later in life to make a real financial commitment to the nonprofits they care about. Why have you chosen to make that commitment now as younger people?
Erin: It’s an opportunity to set up that family tradition, and creating memories around a place you care about. Como is something really special you can share with your family, and by contributing to it, we’re able to see it grow.
What’s your pitch? Why do you think people should support Como Friends on Give to the Max Day?
This year, you can help choose the name of Como Zoo’s new baby nyala, born in September. Vote for your favorite name when you make a Give to the Max Day gift to Como Friends!
Pick your favorite name—Harvey, Stanford, or Walter—and vote by selecting your choice on the donation form.
Como Brings Conservation to Life
From the first breaths taken by Como Zoo’s new tiger cubs, to the tender care that’s giving extra years to elder animal ambassadors like Nan the polar bear, Como Park Zoo and Conservatory is on a mission to bring the value of conservation to life in every season.
On Give to the Max Day, your generosity helps bring conservation to the forefront every day at Minnesota’s most visited cultural destination. From crucial breeding programs to preserve our planet’s most endangered animals, to sustainable habitats that tell deeper stories about the Earth’s diversity, your support helps Como Park Zoo and Conservatory welcome the next generation to discover the wonders of nature through unforgettable face-to-face encounters, fantastic education programs, and always-free admission.
And thanks to a matching gift from the Como Friends Board of Directors and a generous donor, your gift will be doubled, dollar for dollar, up to $53,200.
This year, Give to the Max Day supporters helped choose the name of Como Zoo’s new baby nyala, born in September, by picking their favorite—Harvey, Stanford, or Walter. The winning name with the most votes is Walter!
From the favorite foods Como’s animals love to the free field trips that inspire the next generation, your contributions to Como Friends make more possible
There are few things Como Zoo’s giraffes love more than browsing—wrapping their legendarily long tongues around the tiny twigs and tender shoots of tree branches and shrub cuttings that keepers place in their habitat. Browse is easy to come by during the growing season, but when the cold weather comes, Como’s hoofstock herd often has to wait until springtime to tuck into their favorite bushes and branches.
But thanks to your support for Como Friends, there’s a new giraffe snack solution on the horizon. With the help of donors, the African Hoofstock Building will have extra room in the budget to bring in fresh browse from warmer climes during the winter months, providing hours of munching, crunching, and curious exploration for Skeeter, Clover, Zinnia and Ivy, the cute new calf born in November.
The funding for the winter browse is just a fraction of the $1.83 million annual contribution to Como Park Zoo & Conservatory that your support for Como Friends made possible this year. “We know that gifts of all amounts from our donors have an incredible impact for the animals at Como Zoo, the gardens at the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory and for the people who love to come and experience Como throughout the year,” says Jackie Sticha, president of Como Friends. “Since Como Friends’ start back in 2000, that’s really been one of the most satisfying aspects of our successful public-private partnership—seeing the enormous difference that a little extra generosity can make in the care of the plants and animals we love at Como, and in the ways we serve the community.” Here’s a look at how your gifts made a difference in 2023:
Tools and Training for Even Better Animal Care:
More than 20 years ago, Como Friends funding helped launch the positive reinforcement animal training initiative that’s helped to make Como Zoo a national leader in progressive care for animals of all sizes, from penguins to polar bears. This year, your generosity will support continued animal training consulting, advising Como Zoo’s professional keepers on new findings about animal behavior and best practice training techniques to benefit all of the animals in Como’s care. Contributions from people like you also make it possible to amp up Como’s arsenal of specialized equipment, from specialized crates to care for polar bears and large cats; scuba tanks and spectrophotometers to keep water habitats healthy for amphibians, fish, and marine mammals; to a new radiograph, tonometer and digital x-ray machine that allow Como Zoo to provide quicker, cutting-edge veterinary care to animals.
Como Friends is also making investments in more individualized animal needs. At Gorilla Forest, Schroeder’s tight-knit family troop will get a dedicated pathway for moving in and out of their habitat, giving gorillas greater choice about where they want to spend the day. A new shade structure is helping keep animals in the African Hoofstock habitat cooler on hot days. And in Tropical Encounters, Chloe the free-ranging sloth will be able to save even more of her energy with an expanded habitat that will allow her to stay in her tree 24/7, instead of retreating to her behind-the-scenes bedroom at night.
Cool Conservation Curriculum For All:
Always a trusted educational partner to area schools, Como’s conservation programs are coming back in full force this year. Thanks to your support, Como has the resources it needs to relaunch a second grade field trip program. This summer, as Como’s popular summer camp programs resume, Como Friends funding will also support camp scholarships to ensure that families have access to Como’s cool conservation programs.
Helping the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory Grow:
Over the years, your contributions to Como Friends have helped to keep many of Como’s best horticultural traditions growing, from the fantastic Holiday Flower Show on display this month in the Sunken Garden, to the continued transformation of the Charlotte Partridge Ordway Japanese Garden. This year, your contributions are helping preserve and protect Como’s extraordinary horticultural collections, with a new security system for Como’s valued bonsai collection, a new lighting system in the North Garden, and a new database that helps Como’s horticulturists keep track of all the specimens in Como’s beautiful gardens.
The rainforest habitat of Tropical Encounters was reenergized by a complete soil replacement, while a new sound system will help improve the visitor experience throughout the Conservatory. As part of Como’s continued conservation efforts, your support is also helping to implement a new composting system to save time and energy, turning last year’s plant material into rich compost, right at Como. Your support also helped the Conservatory launch a new integrated pest management system, deploying beneficial bugs throughout Como’s garden to further reduce the use of pesticides.
Free Admission for All:
Most important, your support for Como Friends helped Como Park Zoo & Conservatory make a full return to traditional operations this year, welcoming more than 1.75 million visitors—and counting. Thank you for all you do to support the natural wonders that bring our community together at Como Park Zoo & Conservatory!
Have you heard Mumford the lion chuff and roar at the start of a summer day? Have you strolled through the elegant new winter-white Holiday Flower Show? What did your kids think of the splashy new SPIRE Sparky Show?
If you’re like most visitors, you made more than one trip to Como in the past year, coming and going with the seasons. An urban oasis that belongs to us all, Como Park Zoo and Conservatory is always the perfect destination for a day brightener–whether you’ve only got time for a Lil Explorers program before a toddler’s nap, or you’ve got the whole day to smell the roses and meet the animals.
“This was a year when Como’s audience was ready to rediscover Como Zoo and the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory all over again,” says Jackie Sticha, president of Como Friends. More than 1 million visitors made a free reservation to visit Como in 2022, a 20 percent increase since the year before. And thanks to your contributions to Como Friends, nearly every corner of Como saw the benefits of private support, with expanded education programs, accessibility improvements, and equitable access for all. “We also saw an extraordinary level of generosity from our Como Friends donors this year, who see the need that Como fills in our community, and who understand the value of having a free-admission destination that everyone can enjoy.”
Here’s a look at how Como Friends invested more than $1.8 million of your contributions in special projects, improvements and daily operations at Minnesota’s most visited cultural institution:
Equity: While inflation soared, the price of visiting Como Park Zoo and Conservatory never wavered. One of only a few major metro zoos and botanical gardens in the country that’s still completely free to visitors, Como Park Zoo and Conservatory continues to be one of Minnesota’s most accessible institutions and one of the most visited destinations in the whole state. Not only do your contributions help to keep Como admission-free every day of the year, Como Friends’ support also helps to pay for the improvements that make the campus inviting and accessible for all. From big improvements like the renovation of Como Zoo’s aquatics building, to smaller updates like the new elevators in the Sunken Garden and stroller-friendly doors at Polar Bear Odyssey, your contributions help enhance the experience for all of our visitors.
Education: Como’s education programs roared back to life in 2022, with fun programs like Lil Explorers, the early childhood program made possible by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment and your contributions to Como Friends. During the summer, over 30,000 more children and adults came to Como than the year before, drawn to fun outdoor experiences like the SPIRE Sparky Show, making waves every day in the fantastic new Como Harbor habitat. During the school year, virtual learning programs like Como Connections have helped deliver engaging conservation curriculum to classrooms around the state, and to kids studying at home. Your support for Como Friends made it possible to do even more for our school partners, expanding free online curriculum for elementary and middle school learners, and welcoming back busloads of field trip groups through Como’s free online reservation system.
Excellence: How do you get three polar bears to play nice together? Where do you get the 10,000 tulip bulbs it takes to put on the Spring Flower show? How do you persuade an orangutan to volunteer to get her flu shot? Como Park Zoo and Conservatory’s exceptional staff of keepers and horticulturists know the answers to all of those questions and more, providing best in class care to animals and plants every day. In 2022, your support for Como Friends helped to elevate everything that happens at Como, from the bulbs and plant material that make the Sunken Garden Minnesota’s most beautiful room, to the behind-the-scenes partnership with the University of Minnesota’s veterinary school, that keeps all of Como Zoo’s animals healthy and curious. Your support also helped to provide for professional development, conservation training, and specialized equipment that helps Como’s keepers and horticulturists do their jobs better, from a new blood pressure and vitals monitor for Como Zoo’s animals, to the portable water tanks that keep all of Como’s gardens looking great.
Thanks to your support for Como Friends, Como Park Zoo and Conservatory has the resources to be the best it can be today—and even better tomorrow!
We look forward to seeing you again at Como in 2023!