Web Bonus: More Than In the Swim

FS: What is one thing that you would like to see the aquarium accomplish in 2007?
KC: I’m very excited that we’re focusing more on our mission. We’re working on a Solomon Islands project with the Nature Conservancy, and we’re helping to restore a reef. We’re working to expand our education programs. And being here and watching the kids come in, it’s really extraordinary. So I’m very excited about us having gotten through one year of operations and really looking toward enhancing some of the programs that we’ve gotten off the ground.

FS: Do you think the fact that you were given enough money to support the organization will effect fundraising efforts?
KC: Absolutely. Having a benefactor as generous as Bernie has been remarkable to build a gift like this for the city of Atlanta and the state of Georgia. But what we have found is that not everybody realizes that we are a nonprofit, that we do need to raise money, that we are more than an attraction. So I definitely see that as something that we’re going to have to work on changing perceptions as we move forward because we will need a different kind of public support than we’ve had to have up until this point, and we want to make sure that guests have a good time when they visit, and that our partners and our sponsors have a good experience so that when fundraising really becomes much more critical, we’re in a good position with the people that are already on board.