We had an EEL-ectric Time at Splash Bash Presented by Stifel!

We made a splash at our fourth annual Gala on Friday, November 8th! At this Italian Riviera inspired event, guests enjoyed multiple different food stations, drinks, entertainment, like living statues, a live painter, and an opera singer, and fundraising activities, like a wine pull and live auction!

Thank you to our turtle-ly amazing guests for a wonderful and amazing evening. Because of your generosity, we raised $350,000 in support of our H₂O Friends program, which provides access and education for youth from Title I schools and underserved community partners.

A special thank you to our co-chairs Laura and Jim Lally, along with our honorary co-chairs Bob and Steve O'Loughlin. Your collaboration and dedication created a truly unforgettable night for everyone involved!

This event also could not have been possible without our 47 sponsors, 50 in-kind donors, and wonderful volunteers!

As our fourth annual Gala comes to an end, save the date for this years Gala on Friday, November 7th, 2025! The Aquarium Foundation is already looking forward to this fun-filled night and we hope you are too!

School Partnership Spotlight - Atlas Public Schools

The St. Louis Aquarium Foundation is proud to have many partner schools and districts in the St. Louis community. One of our more recent partners, Atlas Public Schools, is a K-4 charter school in the City of St. Louis and a next door neighbor to the Aquarium. Atlas Elementary is a year round school that has 6 intersessions during the school year. It is during those intersessions that the St. Louis Aquarium Foundation education team provides field trips and STEM education classes.

According to Michael Jonagan, Atlas Coordinator of Beyond School Programming, some of the highlights they see in the students are how their faces light up when they are here, asking great questions about the animals and how the water table works (hydrodynamics) and how the students make connections between what they see at the Aquarium and what they are learning in class. In the classroom, students are able to call back things that they have learned at the Aquarium.

Parent survey results often mention that one of the things their children are most excited about is their experience at the Aquarium. Our educators work with the Atlas curriculum map and tailor as much as they possibly can to the school's curriculum.

"The education team has gone above and beyond, the kids love the educators and the staff likes working with them," Jonagan said.

The St. Louis Aquarium Foundation is very grateful to all of our donors who support our H2O Friends program that makes this possible. A special thank you to the Hunter Family Foundation for their support of the Aquarium Foundation and their specific support of the Atlas partnership.

Come Visit MSD Project Clear at the St. Louis Aquarium!

MSD Project Clear, one of the Aquarium Foundation's wonderful partners, will be onsite at the Aquarium on Monday, January 20th, from 10am to 1pm!

MSD Project Clear representatives will be educating on Know Your Zone and ways to reduce stormwater pollution to improve water quality. You can find the team on the second floor of the Aquarium at the information desk window with a fun water quality activity for kids and other informative education!

We look forward to seeing you there on Martin Luther King Jr. Day!