Photography by Lexie Graben.
“We feel really strongly about animals,” Robyn Chauvin says. “We love animals. The boys love animals.”
She and her husband, Chris, are co-chairs of this year’s Zoo To Do fundraiser. Since the event began 30 years ago, it has raised more than $17 million, which is used to care and maintain more than 2,300 animals across 366 species.
Robyn has helped organize Zoo To Do in the past. Last year, she was on the host committee for the virtual event. In 2018, she was raffle chair.
When previous event leaders asked if she would take the reins, she gladly accepted.
“The growth that the zoo has made over the past few years is incredible,” she says. “And we really wanted to support that growth and support something that’s so inherently Dallas; it’s just such a great thing to have here for our kids, not to mention all of the conservation work and the missions that they do to protect and serve animals.”
As a co-chair, she has shaped the theme, “Return to the Wild,” and aesthetic direction of the event, scheduled for Nov. 6. In addition, she selected committee members, planned activities and invited chefs to participate in the outdoor event. This year, guests will enjoy interactive animal demonstrations and live music from Manhattan. They’ll also have the opportunity to support the zoo through an auction offering rare zoo experiences, travel and more.
Robyn is a women’s couture buyer for Neiman Marcus, and Chris is a partner at Holland & Knight. They live in White Rock Valley with their two sons — Christopher, 7, and Robert, 4. Both attend White Rock Elementary School and are active in sports.
In their free time, the Chauvins love eating at restaurants like Mariano’s Hacienda. Chris even says queso is the boys’ blood type. And of course, they love going to the zoo. The boys know their parents are co-chairs of Zoo To Do, but they’re not exactly sure what that role involves.
“They want to know if it gets them special access to the animals,” Robyn says. “I think they think that’s what I do, when I’m working out at the zoo, that I’m helping take care of the animals.
