Perry, Palo Alto’s Goodwill Ambassador. Put notes in his bags about what you love about our town! All photos of Perry courtesy of the City of Palo Alto
Recognize this guy?
If not, you will soon, as Perry the donkey makes his way around Palo Alto through a program aimed at highlighting all the reasons why people love Palo Alto. Although he’s making his debut at the May Fete Parade on May 2nd with Mayor Karen Holman, Perry has already
Mayor Karen Holman with Perry in her office at City Hall
visited the Mayor’s office, an AYSO soccer match and the Office of Emergency Services.
He’s also been featured on Channel 2 TV news.
Perry, who is modeled off the beloved real donkey at Bol Park, will be traveling around Palo Alto for the next few months, ending his tour at the annual Chili Cook Off on July 4th, 2015 at Mitchell Park.
Fun fact: Perry was the model for the donkey in the 2001 movie, Shrek!
The real Perry is 21 years old and was the model for the character of Donkey in Shrek
Spreading the love of Palo Alto
The idea for Perry came from an event organized by the City of Palo Alto in February that asked people to come up with easy, low-cost ways to spread positive feelings about living in Palo Alto. At the event, author Peter Kageyama inspired the group by sharing stories from his book, “For the Love of Cities,” about how other towns have engaged citizens through creative ideas that focus on what people cherish about the places they live.
The idea for Perry came from a brainstorming event at Mitchell Park
Ali Williams, the events manager for the City of Palo Alto, was at the event in February and has taken the lead on putting the idea for Perry into action. “We lived in Palo Alto for 30 years and there are so many wonderful things about this city,” she said. “Bringing Perry around town gives people a chance to show all the places and things that make Palo Alto such a great place to live”
Sign up to hang out with Perry- as long as you post photos
Anyone become an “Ambassador” and keep Perry for a few days, as long as they promise to bring him to meet the places and people that make Palo Alto special- and post photos of the journey on Perry’s Facebook page. To take this adorable guy around town, sign up on on Perry’s Facebook page, or tweet @PaloAltoPerry.
Perry will get a proclamation from City Council
After Perry’s adventures around Palo Alto end on July 4th, Ali and her team will compile the tweets, notes and photos he’s inspired into an exhibit that will be presented to the Palo Alto City Council and displayed for the public. The Council will then issue a proclamation recognizing Perry’s service to Palo Alto and his contribution to the community.
Sign up now to be Perry’s sidekick for a few days in May or June– what a fun way to show off what you love about Palo Alto!
Perry with Palo Alto Historian Steve Steiger
Perry monitors the situation at the Office of Emergency Services
