The Ripple Effect: How the Love of One Animal Can Impact Thousands

Nancy and Mark Pellegrino share a passion for the zoo's mission that began well before setting foot on our 92 acres, as it grew naturally from a deep love of animals both domestic and wild.

"While we were not blessed to have children," Mark says, "one of the great joys in our lives have been our dogs, Riley and Decker. They teach us the true meaning of unconditional love. In the zoo, we have found an ideal place to express this love of something greater than ourselves."

Nancy expands on this sentiment: "It's the reason our first capital campaign gift was designated toward animal care and enrichment at the zoo. Animals also teach us about compassion, empathy and a desire for a more sustainable world. We want our philanthropy to be an expression of these values."

A member of the zoo's board of directors since 2005, Nancy began her two-year term as chair in January 2013. She describes her service as her most rewarding role yet as an executive volunteer: "The zoo embodies not only my deep commitment to conserving animals and their habitats, but it has also become a part of our family. The zoo has an incredibly broad reach across our community and our world through the animal care, education and conservation elements of our mission. We are making a difference on multiple levels literally every day."

Aside from the zoo's role as a community treasure and essential destination for entertaining visitors, Mark values the zoo as a place at which children of all socioeconomic backgrounds can develop meaningful connections with wildlife. "Nancy and I were fortunate to travel to Africa; only a small percentage of the population is able to do this. The zoo ensures that every kid has opportunities to see endangered animals up close and develop a more profound appreciation for the need to conserve them. We see this happen every day."

Nancy and Mark interact daily with wealthy families in their professional lives. This has also shaped how they view their own philanthropy. "I rarely come across a wealthy family that does not have philanthropic leanings," shares Mark, speaking from decades of experience as a preeminent investment advisor. "It stems from a desire to stand for a cause." For Nancy, a successful executive in the wealth management industry, philanthropy is the most powerful tool for connecting family members across generations. It helps them embrace a common energy sprung from meaningful change.

As they advise clients, Mark and Nancy balance their current gifts in relation to their estate gifts. While the Pellegrinos are involved intimately with a number of charitable organizations in the Seattle area, Nancy says that choosing the zoo as a beneficiary of their estate plans was a natural decision. "My hope is that our zoo is exponentially better 30 years from now. We are putting the pieces in place to be the best zoo in the world. Mark and I want to see this evolution continue well after our lifetimes."

Mark underscores Nancy's sentiments, adding, "Our shared goal is to advocate for the zoo now—as donors, volunteers and ambassadors. Our estate gift is a pledge toward the future. It will help keep the zoo a vibrant part of our community for many years to come."

Woodland Park Zoo remains grateful for the Pellegrinos' leadership, their contributions, and their great love of our zoo animals and staff. As they encourage more members of our community to give, just imagine how much better our zoo will be 30 years from now.