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Community Heroes: Jillian Kushner
When Jillian Kushner reached her Bat Mitzvah age of twelve years old, she began to search for a community service project to mark her passage into adulthood. After learning about Austin-based EmanciPET, from her mom, Wendi, Jillian decided to raise money for the non-profit spay/neuter clinic by baking and selling homemade treats for people and their pooches.
Jillian chose to sell her goodies at $18 a bag because of the number’s significance in Judaism―18 corresponds to the letter chai, which means “life.” As it turns out, it’s quite a lucky number—Jillian took orders for $4,700 worth of treats!
Surprised by the overwhelming response, the young philanthropist spent most of her free time baking and delivering the treats until all of the orders were filled. “I had to be diligent in order to raise the funds to achieve our goal,” Jillian says. “One of my sponsors, Nora Lieberman, helped out by eating all the rejected cookies!”
Jillian filled orders for 70 bags of cookies and 54 bags of dog treats. She also received 30 donations. Her treats for people, labeled with a photograph of Jillian and her dog, Feebee, were officially declared delicious by EmanciPET staffers.
EmanciPET has expressed its sincerest thanks to Jillian for her hard work and generosity—but most of all, for her inspiration. "Jillian is an amazing young woman,” says Amy Mills, EmanciPET’s executive director. “She is a great example of how anyone can make a real difference for animals, and how young philanthropists are changing the world. Her story shows that it's not your age or the size of your bank account that matters—it's your creativity and passion for helping animals. I hope her story will inspire other young people who are wondering how they can get involved."
EmanciPET’s executive director Amy Mills, left, and volunteer coordinator Carrie Voss, far right, pose with young animal advocate Jillian Kushner, who raised nearly $5,000 for the Austin group through the sale of her homemade treats for dogs and people.
More Austin Community Heroes:
Sew Far, Sew Good!
Austin's pet-crazy girl scouts created handmade toys and beds for the shelter cats at Town Lake Animal Center.
The Woman Behind The Wags
Kathy Girling made sure that the Austin Humane Society's "Rags to Wags" fundraiser went off without so much as a whisker out of place!
Round Rock Rocks!: On August 31, 2007, 42 ill and malnourished Chihuahuas and a lone Great Dane were removed from a home in the Austin suburb of Round Rock. Shutting down this breeding operation was a long, involved process that illustrates the dedication and commitment of Round Rock's animal control officers.
Austin's Go-To Girl: Can one person really make a difference? The folks at Town Lake Animal Center admit they'd be "pretty lost" without volunteer Lee Ann Littrel.
Del Goss: Not Your Average Cat Lady!: One of Austin’s leading “cat ladies” is Del Goss, a burly retired electrician who eats well and prefers margaritas to Earl Grey.
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