Meeting the animals on Dreamnight

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The welcoming committee

Volunteers needed for zoo's Dreamnight Johannesburg Zoo is seeking volunteers to join employees in hosting a Dreamnight for chronically ill and disabled children in November. July 14, 2006 By Thabang Mokoka THE Johannesburg Zoo is looking for volunteers to help with their second Dreamnight - a fantasy-filled night for chronically ill and disabled children from around the city - at the end of November. The zoo held their first Dreamnight last year, a special evening that included food and entertainment by volunteers and zoo employees who posed as storybook characters to introduce the children to some of the zoo's animals. "This is a way to give something to [physically challenged] children of Joburg," says Lorna Fuller, who is co-ordinating the zoo's Dreamnight. This year's event will take place on Saturday, 25 November from 5.30pm to 10pm. The idea of a Dreamnight was born at the Rotterdam Zoo in the Netherlands, when, in 1996, it hosted 175 children from the Sophia Children's Hospital. According to the Dreamnight website website, "These very special guests do not often have opportunities to visit our zoos, because they come from children's hospitals or institutions for disabled children." Since then the idea took off around the world, and now 100 organisations run Dreamnights annually. Each zoo organises its own event, ensuring that the children are treated like VIPs. On the night, the children are allowed to get as close as possible to the animals, asking the keepers questions and getting a more intimate view of the zoo than the average visitor. "We are also trying to give these children the luxury of enjoying the zoo without people staring at them," says the zoo's marketing co-ordinator, Senzo Ngcobo. Most of the zoo's employees volunteer to work that evening, from the director to the keepers, restaurant staff and educationists. Various companies and individuals provide transportation, snacks, ice cream, face-paint or flowers and even money, and musicians and actors offer their services free of charge. Dreamnight will also see the lighting of the annual Hospice Tree of Light ahead of Christmas. Those wanting to get involved can contact Lorna Fuller on 011 646 2000 ext 235 or 082 385 1937 or via email on lorna@jhbzoo.org.za. Permission to use web site material Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as: Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)"; If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original article on this website; The name of the article's author is acknowledged; The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill in this brief online form). Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 Print this Page E-mail this article to a friend Help using Joburg.org.za