Straker Donation to Help Veterans and Wilds

A Zanesville resident makes a big donation to the Wilds Animal Preserve in Muskingum County. J.W. Bill Straker has donated $2,000,000 to build and furnish cabins and a multipurpose building at the preserve. The gift will serve two purposes: provide a retreat for veterans grappling with post-combat stress, and make the Wilds more accessible to traveling families and small groups. The cabin complex will also provide another revenue stream for the Wilds conservation and education efforts. This gift, the single largest private donation the Wilds has received, is the second significant donation from the Strakers who also established the first veterinary clinic at the conservation center. The gift, directed by both Mr. Straker and the J.W. and M.H. Straker Charitable Foundation, will be used to construct seven cabins, each with two or three bedrooms, a kitchenette, small living room and a bathroom. The complex will also include a lodge containing a classroom/multipurpose room, a commercial kitchen, laundry and restrooms. The site is located on the newly named Straker Lake. Mr. Starker’s primary aim in donating the funds for the cabins and lodge is to provide The Mighty Oaks Warrior Program, a non-profit organization, its first location in Ohio and the Midwest to conduct is programming desgined to heal the life-threatening psychological wounds many veterans face. Mighty Oaks students will occupy the cabins a total of six weeks a year and the cabins will be open to the public all other days. The new accommodations are expected to be available by spring of 2018.