Elizabeth's Dedication Makes a Difference

Elizabeth is a vivacious six-year-old who loves animals, especially kitties. For the third year in a row, she created a one-day lemonade sale in her yard, and donated the proceeds of her hard work (and excellent beverage-making skills) to Dakin.

This year’s effort raised $1,000, and Elizabeth visited Dakin to deliver her donation. She and her mom were greeted by Dakin’s Community Engagement Manager, Kaitlyn Holloway, who brought them around to visit some cats in the colony rooms, on the adoption floor, and in the Lion’s Den. The trio also went to visit dogs on the adoption floor, and Elizabeth saw the storage area for the Pet Food bank and shelter inventory, where large quantities of pet food, kitty litter and other pet essentials are stacked on multiple shelves.

Kaitlyn noted, “Elizabeth exudes a soft tenderness, and every cat seems to know that and instantly warms up to her presence. There is this unmistakable sparkle of connection in her eyes immediately when she sees a cat, and that love and compassion carries over into her lemonade stand fundraising.”

She added, “Elizabeth was very interested in learning about the Lion's Den and how our volunteers help socialize its tiny feral kittens. I showed them the treats we offer, some of the enrichment tools used on these kittens, and talked about how we help them learn to trust humans and become socialized.”

Elizabeth’s dedication to animal welfare expands to rewarding the people who help the animals by donating sweet treats to the staff at Dakin through her participation as a Girl Scout.

When she returned home, her mom reported that Elizabeth curled up with Lasagna, her Dakin-adopted calico cat, to tell her all about her visit to the shelter, and how her donation made an important impact.

It’s especially heartening to see someone as young as Elizabeth show such a commitment to caring about animals, and combining that with an act of generosity. We’re deeply grateful for compassionate advocates like her—people who go above and beyond to strengthen Dakin and help us provide vital resources for animals and the people who love them.