WITH an annual budget of $96 million, it will take much more than one fundraising event to help finance the operations of the Hope Botanical Gardens and Zoo.

But last week’s staging of the Hope Gardens Heroes Family “Fundaze” typifies more of what the operators would like to see happening in the coming months.

Although the funds are still being calculated, Karl Binger, executive director of the Nature Preservation Foundation (NPF) – the company to which the garden and zoo is leased – said they hope to raise an estimated $2 million from the recent event.

Last week’s “Family Fundaze” was well attended and saw scores of children and parents taking advantage of a wide array of activities that were being offered at the Kingston facility. The activities included children’s games, live entertainment and main-stage competitions and give-aways.

“We were pleased. We got some good sponsorship from corporate Jamaica, which we are very grateful for,” said Binger.

The NPF has a 49-year lease on Hope Botanical Gardens and Zoo and is mandated to make the facility a favoured attraction, especially as the government looks towards getting more tourists to visit the island. The lease began in 2005 and since that time, the NPF has been coming up with various ways to earn revenue, which at this time is the group’s biggest challenge.

The garden has seen an increase in its recurrent budget this year in comparison to last year when they were financing their operations at a cost of $81 million. Binger attributes this increase in cost primarily to the increase in the price for products used for maintenance of both the garden and zoo. Government will be contributing $39 million of the $96 million, leaving the group to find the additional funding through fundraisers and corporate sponsorship.

As such, the money earned from last week’s event will be going towards helping with the maintenance of the estate.

“It is for various things – feeding of animals, maintenance of equipment and things that we have to purchase to maintain the property,” Binger told Environment Watch.

He said plans are already underway to stage another fundraiser in December with Caribbean Events Group. This is to be the third such fundraising event for this year, following the Heroes Day celebration and a similar fund-raiser at Easter.

But separate from these large-scale family events, Binger said the group has been using their recently completed sunken and pavilion garden to generate income. The recently landscaped areas are now rented to persons for weddings and other celebratory activities and social events.

The group has also constructed a butterfly garden, re-opened their petting zoo, finished the parrot enclosure, and has started a bird garden. Binger said work has begun on the medicinal garden and designs are currently being modified for the much-anticipated scent and smell garden.

Despite setbacks in completing a crocodile enclosure and an animal hospital, Binger is still confident that his organisation will be able to transform the garden by 2012.

“We think we are well on our way. We need, though, the capital from various people to do some of the capital things. But of course, with the capital, putting in new things means exponentially the recurrent costs go up, so we need to be seeing how best we can get the recurrent costs down,” he said.

One of the ideas being developed to cut the re-current cost is to start a volunteer system.

“We are going to need volunteers to help us to do various things in the garden. Most gardens and zoos rely heavily on volunteers, so we are trying to establish a programme for volunteers,” Binger said.

When the volunteer system begins, people gifted in doing things like gardening and maintaining nurseries will be encouraged to donate their time and expertise to the facility.