Zoo Atlanta offering camp scholarships for 60 underprivileged children

Children enjoy camp at Zoo Atlanta.

Children enjoy camp at Zoo Atlanta.

Zoo Atlanta is accepting scholarships to provide a week of Safari Camp for 60 underprivileged children this summer.

Children ages 5 to 11 from Title I schools in Atlanta and Fulton County are eligible for the scholarship program, which is being offered for the third year in a row. To be considered, children must also qualify for the free or reduced lunch program at school.

The scholarships include tuition, lunch, snacks, a T-shirt and an extended care option. Parents or guardians interested in applying should submit a completed application, available at zooatlanta.org/scholarship, along with a letter of need from the guardian and a letter of interest from the child.

Materials may be submitted via email to education@zooatlanta.org or via mail to Zoo Atlanta Education Reservations; 800 Cherokee Avenue, SE; Atlanta, Georgia 30315.

Applications are due by 5:30 p.m. on May 7.

Zoo Atlanta's summer Safari Camp typically costs more than $300 per week for full-day campers.

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Applications will be reviewed and awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Awardees will be notified by May 21.

President and CEO Raymond B. King said the benefits of early-life experiences at the zoo “can’t be overstated.”

“It is very important to us that financial constraints not prevent children from having experiences that could be formative events for the next generation of wildlife advocates, conservationists and scientists,” King said.

Safari Camp begins May 29 and runs weekly through August 3, with themes changing weekly. The Safari Camp Scholarship Program is presented by Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority.

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