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A NIGHT OF
DREAMS
COMES
ALIVE AT
THE
HOUSTON
ZOO
4th Annual
Dreamnight
a Unique
and
Memorable
Experience
for Area
Families
June
17, 2008
Each
year
around the
world on
the first
Friday in
June, more
than 160
zoos open
their
doors with
one simple
goal in
mind: to
create an
entrance-free
evening,
exclusively
for
chronically
ill and
disabled
children,
their
parents
and
brothers
and
sisters.
The event
is known
as
DreamNight.
On June 6,
the
Houston
Zoo’s 4th
annual
DreamNight
welcomed
young
patients
and their
families
from
HealthBridge
Children’s
Hospital,
a part of
Nexus
Health
Systems, a
major
sponsor of
the event
as well as
patients
from Texas
Children’s
Hospital,
Ben Taub,
Memorial
Hermann
Children’s
Hospital,
and M. D.
Anderson
Cancer
Center for
an evening
of fun,
food, and
entertainment.
“DreamNight
is a
wonderful
opportunity
for the
Houston
Zoo to put
smiles on
children’s
faces and
everyone
here is a
part of
it,” said
Houston
Zoo
Director
Rick
Barongi.
“Zoo
employees
including
zookeepers,
grounds
and
maintenance
crews and
administrative
personnel
all
volunteer
their time
to create
a
memorable
experience
for some
very
special
guests,”
added
Barongi.
More
than 360
DreamNight
guests
were
treated to
dinner at
the Zoo’s
Karamu
Outpost a
tented
special
events
area.
Frown
Busters
clowns and
a “kid
friendly”
DJ added a
festive
air to the
evening.
Zookeepers
and Zoo
volunteers
added a
wild touch
with
animal
“guest
stars”
including
Trixie, a
Flemish
Giant
rabbit, a
Mali
Uromastyx,
a type of
lizard
from
Africa,
and other
exotic
reptile
species.
DreamNight
began at
the
Rotterdam
Zoo in
1996 as an
annual
evening
out for
children
from a
nearby
hospital.
The event
spread
across
Europe and
to the US
in 2004.
The
Houston
Zoo joined
the fun in
2005.
This year
DreamNight
around the
world
included
zoos in
the
Netherlands,
United
Kingdom,
Czech
Republic,
Denmark,
Belgium,
France,
Canada,
New
Zealand,
Greece,
Hungary
and the
United
States.
Operating
costs
associated
with
DreamNight
at the
Houston
Zoo were
donated by
HealthBridge
Children’s
Hospital,
a part of
Nexus
Health
Systems,
Inc. Zoo
employees
volunteered
their time
to staff
the event,
assisted
by the
Zoo’s
volunteers
and
in-kind
donations
from Frown
Busters of
Grace
Presbyterian
Church,
Best
Entertainers,
Catch the
Moment
photography,
Sol y Luna
dancers,
and Sodexo.
Continental
Airlines
is the
official
airline of
the
Houston
Zoo.
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