Winter Happenings

Events and How to Get Involved

SHELL-ebrating Splash Bash!

Splash Bash, held Friday, November 7th, was a truly electric night! This year, we took a trip to Miami's high energy night scene as guests enjoyed Cuban inspired food stations, drinks, and entertainment like dancers, a cigar roller, and a tarot card reader!


Thank you to our wonderful guests for such a lively and vibrant evening. Through your generosity, we raised almost $400,000 to fund our H2O Friends program, which provides free access to the St. Louis Aquarium along with STEM-based conservation and aquatic life education for youth from Title 1 schools and underserved partners.

This event could not have been possible without our co-chairs Laura and Jim Lally, along with our honorary co-chairs Bob and Steve O'Loughlin. Thank you for making a difference and helping to provide access and inspiration for a future generation of potential biologists, conservationists, and educators!


Thank you to our Presenting Sponsor, Stifel, and all of our 44 sponsors, 38 in-kind donors, guests, board members and volunteers for making this year's event our most successful yet!

As our fifth annual Gala comes to a close, save the date for this years Gala on Friday, November 13th, 2026! With a new theme, entertainment, and food experience, it is sure to be another fun-filled night to remember!

Thank you to our donors!*


Aquarium Friends Circle Members

  • Jonathan & Melissa Losos


Global Waters Circle Members

  • Anonymous
  • Ms. Anita Siegmund and Ms. Nancy Suelflow


Grants & Major Gifts

  • Mr. George Bauer
  • Clifford Willard Gaylord Foundation
  • Enterprise Bank & Trust Foundation
  • Harlene and Marvin Wool Foundation
  • MSD Project Clear
  • Mr. Bob O'Loughlin


Donations

  • Ameren Missouri
  • Annie Gunn's Restaurant and Smokehouse Market
  • Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield
  • Automatic Controls ACES
  • Kirsten Behrens
  • BluSky Restoration
  • Stacey Budrovich
  • Ann Cahill
  • Ms. Cassady Caldwell
  • Cass Information Systems
  • Mr. Barry Cervantes
  • Cori Christiansen
  • BreAnn Clark
  • Meghann Davies
  • GFI Digital
  • Bob & Carolyn Guest
  • Keith & Cindi Guller
  • Mark Hinnah
  • Jim & Laura Lally
  • Mrs. LaVerne Lorenzini
  • Joanne May
  • Mercy
  • Steve and Crystal O'Loughlin
  • PARIC
  • Melissa Paz
  • PGAV Destinations
  • Roald Punselie
  • Purina
  • Stephanie Pruett
  • Mrs. Peggy Ritter
  • Joshua Sewell
  • Drs. Surendra and Shalini Shenoy
  • Luke Smith
  • Lauren Smyth
  • Spectra Painting
  • Stifel
  • Jim Tighe
  • Sandra & Virgil VanTrease
  • Gail and Randy Weller
  • Jerome Whitehead


*List includes gifts of $250+ received between 10/01/2025 and 12/31/2025

Get Ready FORE Swing Fore the Seas!

Mark your calendars for Thursday, April 30th, 2025 to participate in our Young Professionals Board's third annual fundraising event, Swing Fore the Seas! We are excited for another fun day of play at Topgolf in Midtown to support the Foundation's mission of providing access to our education programs as well as benefitting our conservation efforts!


Take a look at the below sponsorship opportunities and join your friends, clients, or company for a day filled with competitive play, food, drink, and fundraising activities, like a wine pull, 50/50 raffle, and more!

Homeschool Days with the St. Louis Aquarium Foundation are Back!


Our Homeschool Day sessions are back for Spring of 2026 and registrations are now open! We have extended the program to a 1.5 hour education program with a 1.5 hour Guided Tour, allowing for more time to participate in fun STEM-based activities before enjoying the Aquarium.


Dates

Location

Topic

Tuesday, January 27th

Union Station Property (St. Louis Aquarium)

Concrete Jungle

Tuesday, February 10th

St. Louis Aquarium

Science & Magic

Tuesday, February 24th

Location TBA

No Dry Dirt

Tuesday, March 10th

St. Louis Aquarium

Fish. Food. Fun

Tuesday, March 24th

Location TBA

'Manders & Mushrooms

Tuesday, April 7th

St. Louis Aquarium

Baby Boom

Tuesday, May 26th

Location TBA

Animal Environmental Engineers

Whether your student is interested in investigating the ways animals survive in extreme conditions, wants to explore the relationship between soil and water, or learn about the life cycle of our favorite Aquarium residents, each session is sure to spark a curiosity of the natural world and the amazing marine animals that call it home. Each session has a different fun-filled topic, creating a wonderful opportunity to come to every session if you wish!


We look forward to SEA-ing you and your students at one (or all) of our sessions!

Love Bites is Back and Sassier than Ever!

Love Bites is returning for another sassy and playful Valentine's Day season!


You can symbolically name a cricket, super worm, or veggie after your not-so-special someone, which will then be fed to one of the St. Louis Aquarium animals. What a perfect way to celebrate your Valentine's Day all while helping support the Foundation's conservation and education programs!


You will receive a personalized Valentine's card with a video of one of the St. Louis Aquarium animals enjoying a tasty treat named after your not-so-special someone. This year, the St. Louis Aquarium's North American Porcupine, Nigel, will be chomping down on the veggie, the super worm will be fed to Percy the Opossum, and the cricket will be eaten by Clementine the Chameleon!


Mark your calendars for January 26th and join in on the fun! We will then announce the most popular (or should we say least popular) names of your not-so-special someone's on February 16th!

Summer Camp Programs


Dive into summer learning and fun with Camp Fins & Friends at the St. Louis Aquarium! At camp, kids ages 7-12 will learn about aquatic animals, think critically about conservation issues, participate in fun STEM-based activities and projects, AND get to enjoy both the Aquarium and other attractions at Union Station! Camp Fins & Friends features five unique session themes that rotate weekly to keep every new and returning camper engaged!



Early registration for St. Louis Aquarium Foundation members will open on Tuesday, January 27th. Registrations will then go live to the public on Tuesday, February 10th!



We are also thrilled to announce the launch of the Junior Summer Educators (JSE) program for Camp Fins & Friends alumni between the ages of 13 and 15 years old!


This pilot program is designed to fill the gap of opportunity for our teen campers that are too young to volunteer at the Aquarium and are outside of the camp age range. This allows alumni to experience what it is like to be an Educator on the other side of summer camp table. This is a chance for your child to learn, grow, and have fun in a familiar environment!


We hope to see you and your camper at one (or more) of our FIN-tastic camp sessions!

Week Dates

Camp Themes

June 1st-5th

Shark Week

June 8th-12th

River Rats (NEW for 2026)

June 15th-19th

Aquarium 101

June 22nd-26th

Summer in the Arctic

June 29th-July 2nd

Amazing Animal Adaptations

July 6th-10th

Shark Week

July 13th-17th

River Rats (NEW for 2026)

July 20th-24th

Aquarium 101

July 27th-31st

Summer in the Arctic

August 3rd-7th

Amazing Animal Adaptations

Is your high school student interested in becoming involved in ocean-related studies and conservation, despite having no direct access to the ocean? The St. Louis Aquarium Foundation is thrilled to welcome new members to the Night at the Aquarium Program, where high school students will learn concrete actions St. Louisans can take to improve ocean health, gain knowledge on marine and freshwater environments, and raise awareness of the importance of the ocean for all life.


In this program, Sophomore-Senior students of the 2026-2027 school year (15+) will learn about ocean-related topics from Aquarium experts, complete conservation actions, and research and present their work at various events including the St. Louis Aquarium Foundation Gala in the fall.


The Aquarium Foundation would like to give a round of applause to the teen founders of this program, Ally Good and Natalie Conran. Thank you for being environmental stewards for our community - you have left a lasting impact on the Aquarium Foundation and we are looking forward to continue this program. We would also like to thank our Education Advisory Council member, Katie Lodes, who has helped support this program throughout its journey.


Applications are due January 21, 2026!

Participate in Our World Water Day Student Sticker Design Contest!

Let your artistry flow and join in on our World Water Day Student Sticker Design Contest in partnership with MSD Project Clear! World Water Day, celebrated annually on March 22nd, is a global observance that raises awareness of the importance of water and advocates for its sustainable management. Enter your sticker design to show your love for our waters and get the chance to have your creation produced and distributed to Aquarium guests!


The submission deadline is February 20th, 2026 at 11:59 Central Time and winners will be announced the week of March 2nd, 2026!


We are looking forward to seeing everyone's creativity shine!

Join us for any and all of our Upcoming Events!

Save the date for Water Summit!


The St. Louis Aquarium Foundation is honored to serve as a co-host of the 2026 SLU Summit for Water alongside the WATER Institute at Saint Louis University and National Great Rivers.


Join us March 25-26 for an amazing two days of presentations meant to help build a powerful community for water stewardship!

Be on the Lookout for our 2026 Revamp the Riverfront schedule!

We are excited to continue our partnership with Great Rivers Greenway as we work to prevent plastic pollution from entering the Mighty Mississippi and eventually our oceans!


Our Revamp the Riverfront schedule will be announced soon, so keep an eye out for more details and information to register for Spring dates!

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