The Naturally Wild Swap Shop adds it’s 10,000th Trader
On October 15, 2017, The Naturally Wild Swap Shop in the John P. McGovern Children’s Zoo reached a huge milestone. We registered our 10,000th trader!
The honor was awarded to Maya Rojo. She is 4 years old and was so excited!
The Rojo family includes Oscar, Vanessa and of course, Maya. Oscar is originally from El Paso and Vanessa is from McAllen but they made their way to Houston as soon as they could and have lived here for over 17 years now. They are proud Rice and University of Houston alums. Maya herself is a native Houstonian.
The Rojo Family are long time lovers of nature and the Houston Zoo. The Houston Zoo is just one of the places they go to fulfill their need for nature. Their love of the outdoors has taken them to Brazos Bend, Huntsville State Park, Yosemite and more.
Following her parents lead, Maya is also a lover of nature. Her favorite animal is probably her dog Teddy, but she also loves finding garden insects – specifically praying mantis and lady bugs. She loves pelicans and has had some great morning sightings at Huntsville State Park. She will be soon going to visit her Tito and Tita in Corvallis, Oregon and hopes to see some wild turkeys when she is there.
They all learned about the Swap Shop during a presentation in the Children’s Zoo and had come in multiple times before Maya actually signed up and made her first trade. They had made a trip to Galveston and searched for shells to bring in. Maya found some beautiful clam and oyster shells. They also learned about jellyfish careful to avoid stepping on them while hunting for shells. Her shell treasures earned her points to spend in the Swap Shop and as a part of her award as 10,000th trader she also received 1,000 points along with a certificate and an amazing insect display!
Mr and Mrs Rojo had some wonderful things to say about the Swap Shop in response to Maya’s award.
Today we got our snacks ready to go to the zoo, but also packed a ziplock full of clam and oyster shells. Our little one, Maya would be going to the swap shop to earn her first points. She received a big surprise being named the 10000th trader. To commemorate the milestone, the staff made her a certificate and presented her with an amazing display of three beautiful beetles. That was the obvious reward. The less tangible one was the affirmation of our little 4-year-old lady’s hard work in writing her journals, collecting specimen etc. that the staff gave her. We often, as do many others, tell her that those women and men in charge studied a lot to know so much about animals. What they didn’t study but what is instead either a part of someone or not is the willingness and desire to affect this little generation of nose-picking, curious goofs. There were 9,999 registered traders before Maya and countless more families that benefit from this knowledgeable and kind staff that time after time has been just pure class with so many of us. From our little troop, a sincere thank you to Suzanne Jurek who came up with the idea to celebrate the 10,000th, Sara Riger for answering so many questions from so many with skill and to Angie Pyle for making the Children’s zoo so special. Amber Zelmer, Wendy Morrison, Julie LaTurner, Brian Stuckey, Stephanie Turner, Kimberly Sharkey, Megan Paliwoda, Lisa Cariello all who we’ve seen throughout the zoo, from petting goats, learning about animal upkeep etc. From the McDonald’s observatory, Yosemite to Brazos Bend or Huntsville State Park, we’ll all keep encouraging our little ones to keep digging, asking questions. That is in no small part due to you all. Once again, thank you for being a part of our daughter’s life since she was tiny. Oscar, Vanessa and Maya
The Rojo family are involved in charity here and in Mexico. They have a small charity in San Miguel de Allende that focuses on academic support. They also like creating a sense of community with some efforts in the Houston area.
They love coming to the zoo specifically what they consider to be the dynamic areas including the Swap Shop. They consider the Naturally Wild Swap Shop a connection to the outside world and for one, their Maya loves it.
We are so grateful that the Rojo family has shared their little Maya with us. We value every one of our 10,000 traders and love sharing our time and knowledge with each one of them.
Want more information about the Naturally Wild Swap Shop? Click here.
