An Indianapolis woman is among finalists for a national award from the Petco Foundation.
Cindy Keown, outreach lead at Street Outreach Animal Response Initiative (S.O.A.R.), is among the finalists for the Petco Foundation’s national Unsung Hero award. The Petco Foundation and renowned dog trainer Victoria Stilwell are honoring five Unsung Heroes for their extraordinary, lifesaving efforts on behalf of animals with a $10,000 grant award for their animal welfare organization.
One honoree will be awarded the national Unsung Hero award by Petco Foundation and earn an additional $50,000 to support their lifesaving work. Animal lovers across the nation will select the national award through popular vote. Watch her story in the video above and click here to vote: https://www.petcofoundation.org/unsung-heroes/
Keown, a compassionate woman who once faced financial hardships herself, now dedicates her time serving others experiencing homelessness and crisis to help them keep their pets and engage available human health services.
“Cindy wants to make a difference in the lives of humans and animals, and she sees them for who they are inside, and works hard to make that difference every day,” said Angela Hopson, executive director of S.O.A.R. “I’m incredibly thankful for the opportunity to be able to honor her and make her feel as special as she is.”
“There are heroes in every community who dedicate their lives to helping animals and are true lifesaving champions,” said Susanne Kogut, president of the Petco Foundation. “Honoring these extraordinary people and telling their stories is our way of saying, ‘thank you.’ And perhaps these stories will inspire others to be heroes too.”
Victoria Stilwell traveled across the country documenting the incredible work of these heroes in a series of videos that can be viewed at https://www.petcofoundation.org/unsung-heroes/
Street Outreach Animal Response (S.O.A.R.) Indianapolis by working with people experiencing homelessness or crisis who also have pets. For more about S.O.A.R., visit www.soarinitiative.com