Hundreds To Walk At The Bronx Zoo To Raise Funds For St. Mary's

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — Hundreds of Baysiders are headed to the Bronx on Sunday with the hopes of raising $100,000 for a local children's hospital.

This year's annual Big Hearts Walk for St. Mary's Kids, a charity walk-a-thon in support of the hospital's award-winning services for children with special needs, will kick off at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 17 at the Bronx Zoo. For participants, check-in begins an hour before the event.

“The pandemic has been particularly traumatic for families with medically fragile children, so we’re thrilled to finally be at the point where many of us can come together for this fun, outdoor event. Not only are we raising needed funds, but we’re also raising the spirits of our kids,” said Dr. Edwin Simpser, President and CEO of St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children.

While it's too late to register for the official walk-a-thon, supporters can still make a donation to St. Mary's, and get day tickets for the zoo, which is hosting its annual Boo at the Zoo event on Sunday.

The Halloween-themed event includes pumpkin carving, a spider maze, and witchy show, all with the backdrop of the zoo's animals. Costumes are encouraged, too.

Walk-a-thon participants will have a full-day access to the zoo event.

This is the second time that Baysiders raised money for St. Mary's in the past several months. Over the summer, there were a series of free car shows at the Bay Terrace Shopping Center, which included a charity raffle benefiting the hospital.

All told, locals raised $3,000 for the hospital through the raffle.

The donations from the car show and walk-a-thon will benefit Saint Mary's award-winning services, including the hospital's medical day care program for young adults with disabilities, which is the only one in the state.

“The proceeds from the walk will help ensure we can continue to provide the highest level of care to our patients and we’re incredibly grateful for the community support we’ve received," Simpser said.

The Bronx Zoo requires that all guests over the age of 12-years-old are vaccinated in order to enter indoor exhibits, per the city's indoor vaccine mandate. Vaccination is checked at the zoo's entry.

Unvaccinated guests over the age of 2-years-old need to wear a face mask at the zoo in all places where they aren't able to socially distance from others. Face masks are optional for vaccinated guests in outdoor places.