Last week the Yellowstone National Foundation‘s Young Patrons program held a fundraising event in NYC at Avenue, coinciding with the National Park Service’s centennial celebrations this year.

The night was sponsored by DJ Lenny Emery, Whispering Angel Rose, Archer Roose, Stella Artois, Wyoming Whiskey, and Punzone Organic Vodka. Ambitious party goers relocated to Happy Ending in the Lower East Side to continue the after party.

As the National Park Service celebrates its centennial, Yellowstone National Park’s official fundraising partner created the Young Patrons program as part of a broader effort to engage millennial communities in its conservation efforts. The Yellowstone Park Foundation (or “YPF”) Young Patrons is led by a select group of 20 philanthropists.

Jacqueline Rooney, a longtime member of YPF’s Advisory Council and corporate communications manager at Facebook, Inc. spearheaded the initiative to create a Young Patrons Board. Rooney, along with new Board members Arielle Patrick, a Group Manager at Weber Shandwick, and Alice Ryan, a Director at KBS (kirshenbaum bond senecal + partners), hosted the first annual event last year, and saw great successes again this year.

“It is so fitting that we announce this exciting new initiative just as the National Park Service turned 100 last month,” said Heather White, President and CEO of the merged Yellowstone Park Foundation and Yellowstone Association. “This group of accomplished young professionals will bring their corporate and nonprofit expertise to our team to propel the organization’s mission to protect the park for future generations. Our Board would like to thank them in advance for donating their time and energy to preserving the world’s first national park and engaging new stewards.”

Visit the Young Patrons Facebook page for more information!

About the Yellowstone Park Foundation

The Yellowstone Park Foundation (YPF) has served as Yellowstone National Park’s official fundraising partner since 1996. Its mission is to fund projects and programs that protect, preserve, and enhance the natural and cultural resources, and the visitor experience of the Park. YPF has raised more than $100 million, and funded more than 325 important projects and initiatives since 1996 that include wildlife research, cutthroat trout restoration, trail maintenance, and youth education. For more information, please go to www.ypf.org.

The Yellowstone Park Foundation is currently in the process of merging with the park’s nonprofit education partner, the Yellowstone Association (YA). This will be an exciting new chapter in both organizations’ successful histories. Together, YPF and YA (www.YellowstoneAssociation.org) can connect more people to Yellowstone National Park through outstanding visitor experiences and educational programs, and translate those experiences into lifelong support and philanthropic investment.

Photos via Patrick McMullan