Central Florida Zoo and PNC Foundation Break Ground for New Cistern Rainwater Collection System

By Brenda New

Sanford FL- The Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, with the help of the PNC Foundation, held a ground-breaking ceremony today marking the construction of a new cistern rainwater collection system.

This eight tank, environmentally friendly system will be located at the Zoo on the east side of the Wayne Densch Discovery Center and will collect and store up to 2,400 gallons of rainwater that will be used for irrigation and general watering needs at the Zoo. Completion of the project is scheduled for March 2011.

Joe Montisano, CEO of the Central Florida Zoo, and Wade Alliance, SVP and Central Florida market executive of corporate banking for PNC, led the ceremonial shoveling, discussed the benefits of the system and highlighted the support.

“We have a responsibility to conserve our natural resources and to teach adults and children to have the same respect for the natural world,” Montisano said. “By following the lifecycle of a raindrop, we are able to provide a hands-on experience that will impact their conservation habits for a lifetime.”

In addition to the cistern system, the PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., will fund 32 community outreach programs beginning with a public school VPK program for four-year-old children and a Scream Green Cub Club program for children ages two through five.

“PNC and the PNC Foundation have a long history of strengthening and enriching the lives of the communities where employees work and live.” Alliance said on behalf of the PNC Foundation. “For decades, we have provided resources—mainly through PNC Foundation grants—to seed ideas, foster development initiatives and encourage leadership in nonprofit organizations that further our mission to help build stronger and healthier children, families and communities. We are pleased to form alliances with successful community-based nonprofit organizations such as with the Central Florida Zoo to enhance educational opportunities for children, particularly underserved preschool children through PNC Grow Up Great, and to promote the growth of communities through economic development initiatives.”

Both the VPK and Scream Green Cub Club programs are designed to inspire and empower young children to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Interested parents or guardians should contact the Zoo for registration by calling 407.323.4450, ext 125.

The Central Florida Zoo is dedicated to the conservation of wildlife and to engaging and educating our guests by sharing knowledge and celebrating our natural world. The Zoo is committed to excel as a dynamic regional resource providing a unique interactive experience with the natural world.

About the PNC Foundation:

The PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC), actively supports organizations that provide services for the benefit of communities in which it has a significant presence. The foundation focuses its philanthropic mission on early childhood education and community and economic development, which includes the arts and culture. Through its signature cause, Grow Up Great, PNC has created a 10-year, $100 million initiative to enhance early childhood education and school readiness.

About the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens

The Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens is a 116-acre private, nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of wildlife and to engaging and educating our guests by sharing knowledge and celebrating our natural world. For more information regarding the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens visit www.centralfloridazoo.org or call 407.323.4450. The Zoo is located on I-4 Exit 104 in Sanford and is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

To view Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens' web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to: http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-348-Central_Florida_Zoo_&_Botanical_Gardens