Accessibility and services for the disabled is an interest of the Foundation.
In 2010, the M. E. Raker Foundation granted funds to install accessible doors in the Indonesian Rain Forest, offices, and Australian Adventure buildings at the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo.
The following year, a similar grant to the Zoo’s Australian Adventure campaign helped move the exhibit’s entrance from a non-accessible, graded hill to the area next to the Z.O.&O. Railroad Station, allowing guests of all abilities to easily access The Reef and Stingray Bay.
The Foundation is currently working with the Zoo to discover ways to provide greater accessibility for all patrons in zoo activities, buildings, and other areas.
The Raker Foundation also invested in Taylor’s Dream, Indiana’s first boundless playground, an inclusive playground designed to address the needs of children with physical, developmental, cognitive and sensory disabilities, enabling them to experience independent, self-directed play, each at their highest level of ability.
Programs that promote education and enhance learning opportunities are a priority for the Raker Foundation.
Grants from the M.E. Raker Foundation support the History Center’s Heritage Education Fund, which provides free admission for school groups who visit the Center to learn the unique heritage of Fort Wayne and our surrounding communities.
The Raker Foundation is proud of its 
partnership with Allen County Parks to build the Nature Center at Fox Island Park. This Center has provided education about our local natural areas and our history to thousands of students and other visitors over the past 20 years.
