Assiniboine Park Conservancy announces new Leaf fundraising campaign

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/06/2022 (1393 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As it approaches its opening date, the Leaf — Canada’s Diversity Gardens will get a donation boost from one of its top sponsors.

On Tuesday, the Assiniboine Park Conservancy announced a match fundraising campaign, in hopes of raising $1.5 million in community donations for Winnipeg’s new attraction before the end of July.

As part of the campaign, the Richardson Foundation will match all new donations, up to $1.5 million, until July 31, for a potential $3 million total.

“We are pleased to help foster the renaissance taking place at Assiniboine Park and encourage our community to join us in fulfilling the vision of establishing the park as a world-class destination that will delight, educate and entertain visitors for generations to come,” Shannon Fijal, executive director of the Richardson Foundation, said at a news conference Tuesday.

The money raised in the campaign will go toward construction costs for the 64,583-square-foot building located in the southeast section of the park.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for donors to double the impact of their gift in support of the Leaf… and contribute to the completion of this exciting new attraction,” said Don Streuber, vice-chairman of the park board of directors.

The Richardson Foundation previously donated $5 million to the Assiniboine Park Zoo’s Journey to Churchill exhibit and another $5 million for the Leaf.

“We are always looking to get involved and make a difference in the community,” Fijal said. “We think this campaign is a great way to encourage everyone to get involved.”

The Leaf will be multi-seasonal, and is the final major phase in the redevelopment of the park launched in 2009. It will include tropical and Mediterranean biomes, a display house, butterfly garden and interactive classroom.

Margaret Redmond, conservancy president, said it is grateful for the Richardson Foundation’s ongoing support and excited to see the how the attraction brings the community together.

The conservancy also announced the park’s horticultural team will begin planting the indoor biomes for the Leaf in the coming weeks. This will include 12,000 individual plants from 400 different species.

The outdoor gardens at the Leaf opened in 2021, and will remain open during construction.

Redmond said the hope is to open the Leaf to the public by the end of the year.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca