Antonio lingers at the elephant house, taking pictures and marveling at the size - and the smell - of the creatures before him. UC undergraduate Zach Koons laughs as he watches his 10-year-old charge snap photo after photo before the two move on to the Reptile House, where snakes hold the charm for the wide-eyed Bond Hill Academy student. The elephants and snakes have a serious if invisible advantage over Antonio, though. They have permanent night-time addresses. Antonio is homeless. Koon meets with Antonio every week as part of Zoo-Mates, a partnership between Project Connect, the University of Cincinnati's Center for Community Engagement and the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. "Zoo-Mates enables UC students to bridge the gap between childhood and adulthood," says Koons, 21, who changed his major from Business to Middle Childhood Education as a result of his work with the program. "We can touch the lives of inner-city youth, and they can remind us of what is truly important in life." When it began, Zoo-Mates was a once-a-month program, with UC students meeting their young partners at the zoo, where they toured and talked. Now in its sixth year, Zoo-Mates pairs meet weekly, including regular visits to UC's Clifton campus. The success of the program has exceeded its organizers' expectations, according to Center for Community Engagement Director Kathy Dick. "The a-ha moment for me was when two families decided to keep their children in their home school so that they could continue to be a part of Zoo-Mates," she says. For families without homes, maintaining stability at school is a major challenge that can lead to academic problems for kids. Koons started volunteering because he needed to log community service hours to maintain a scholarship. But that's not why he stays. "Time can be worth more than any amount of money you can spend on someone," he says. For Antonio, any time he can spend away from worry is particularly sweet, even when it's laced with the smell of elephant. Do Good: • Donate: Make a financial contribution to the non-profit Faces without Places, which provides local homeless children with a wide range of services. Specify that you want your donation to support Zoo-Mates. • Cast your vote: Visit True Hero and vote for Zoo-Mates to receive additional funding. • Follow the blog: Find out the latest program activities at the Zoo-Mates' blog.
