Touch a baby alligator. Hoot back at an owl. See a garden that grows dinosaur food.

‍

Community Foundation of Broward Fundholders and Legacy Society members got to do that and more during a unique, behind-the-scenes experience at the Broward treasure, Flamingo Gardens.

‍

The 60-acre botanical garden and Everglades wildlife sanctuary in Davie hosted the Community Foundation’s latest Food for Thought luncheon – one of the exclusive opportunities for our Foundation family to learn about Broward’s big issues and see the impact of philanthropy that delivers solutions.

‍

Fundholders and Legacy Society members got a firsthand look at how their support enables Flamingo Gardens to rescue injured animals and preserve precious habitat.

‍

These are key priorities of our Eco Broward and Animal Welfare issues – part of the 10 Issues That Matter most to Broward’s future.

‍

At Flamingo Gardens, visitors from the Foundation were able to see a bald eagle aviary made possible by gifts from Fundholders.

‍

They took a tram ride through a new Fundholder-supported Cycad Garden, which features ancestors of once-abundant-but-now-threatened plants that dinosaurs used to devour.

‍

They saw firsthand how Flamingo Gardens teaches visitors about the value of caring for South Florida’s wildlife and dwindling natural lands. The Fundholder-supported “Save our Swamps” ecological class is one of the ways Flamingo Gardens spreads that message to more 30,000 school children who visit each year.

‍

In addition, they heard how a $500,000 grant from the Mary N. Porter Legacy Fund will support construction of Flamingo Gardens’ new 10,000-square-foot welcome center – featuring more meeting rooms, exhibit space and other updated facilities.

‍

“The environment is foundational and fundamental to all of our wellbeing and to the generations who follow us. And it needs special care,” said Maggie Dunn, a Foundation Legacy Society member who attended the luncheon. “Without this special care from the Community Foundation of Broward, we might not have these precious environmental resources.”

‍

Flamingo Gardens’ work to help Broward’s animals and environment exemplifies the kind of results the Community Foundation seeks to deliver through its ECO Broward and Animal Welfare initiatives. Since 1997, Foundation Fundholders have delivered more than $2.5 million in grants to organizations such as Flamingo Gardens that move the needle on care for animals and the environment.

‍

Those philanthropic resources will need to grow to keep pace with the effects of Broward’s booming development, sea level rise and other environmental threats.

‍

“Our goal is to create a vibrant community for everybody to live, both humans and animals alike,” the Foundation’s Charitable Funds Services Director Justine Morgan said. “Make it a more livable and sustainable place to call home.”

‍

Flamingo Gardens receives support from the following Funds at the Community Foundation of Broward:

Scott Family Fund

Mary N. Porter Legacy Fund

Stella Fund

Harold Rosenberg Fund for Children’s Education

Elizabeth Clark Wood Fund

Helen and Frank Stoykov Charitable Endowment Fund

Allan Wolpowitz Fund

Elizabeth Ryan Fund

Mary and Alex Mackenzie Community Impact Fund

If you are ready to join our movement to tackle ECO Broward, Animal Welfare and other Issues That Matter, contact the Foundation’s Vice President of Philanthropic Services Nancy Thies at nthies@cfbroward.org or 954-761-9503.