To the Rescue! New York, an event to support the life-saving work of the Animal Rescue Team, takes place on November 2 and is co-chaired by Amanda Hearst and Georgina Bloomberg of The HSUS's Friends of Finn Committee. At the event, we'll honor singer/songwriter Colbie Caillat with the Humane Advocate Award and entrepreneur Cathy Kangas with the Compassion in Action Award.
Honoree: Colbie Caillat
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Photo by Robin Layton, from "A Letter to My Dog," published by Chronicle Books
Platinum-selling, multi-Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat is equally renowned for her dedication to protecting animals. An active supporter of The HSUS, she has devoted considerable time and energy to our Stop Puppy Mills campaign.
As the spokesperson for the campaign, Colbie starred in a video about puppy mills and conducted radio interviews around the country to draw attention to the suffering of dogs in these inhumane mass-breeding facilities—and to encourage everyone to adopt from shelters and rescue groups. Colbie performed at this year’s 26th Genesis Awards, where she was a big hit with the audience, singing "Favorite Song."
Her most recent collection, a holiday set entitled Christmas in the Sand, comes out on October 23rd and features such high-profile artists as Brad Paisley and Gavin DeGraw. Colbie is also featured with her two rescued dogs in the new book "A Letter to My Dog."
Honoree: Cathy Kangas
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Nigel Barker
Cathy Kangas has championed animal welfare issues for more than 20 years.
In addition to serving on the HSUS Board of Directors and chairing the HSUS Equine Leadership Council, Cathy has been a leader in the campaign to end the annual slaughter of harp seals in Canada. In 2008 she persuaded the government of French St. Martin to create a shelter and adoption program for the island’s street dogs. Cathy was a founding member of the HSUS National Council, was recently honored by Adopt-A-Dog for her devotion to helping dogs, and is the primary financial supporter of SquirrelWood Equine Sanctuary in Montgomery, New York.
Cathy created Beauty with a Cause to help animal welfare organizations around the world and has committed a percentage of the profits of her company, PRAI Beauty, to the effort. Since 1999, Beauty with a Cause has helped an elephant sanctuary in Tennessee, a home for former Air Force chimps in Florida, the protection of dogs and cats through Animals Asia, and more.
Cathy lives in New Canaan, Connecticut, with her husband, Ed Kangas, former global CEO of Deloitte, and their four rescued dogs.
Co-chair: Amanda Hearst
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Jimi Celeste/patrickmcmullan.com
Amanda Hearst is the founder and chair of Friends of Finn. She is also a market editor at Marie Claire magazine and a blogger for the magazine’s website, where she writes about sustainable fashion and design. Amanda also sits on the executive board of Riverkeeper, an environmental organization dedicated to protecting the bodies of water around New York City. She currently resides in Manhattan with her pup, Finnegan.
Co-chair: Georgina Bloomberg
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Jimi Celeste/patrickmcmullan.com
Georgina Bloomberg, a competitive show jumper and animal advocate, is the co-author of two young adult novels about the equestrian show circuit, "The A Circuit" and "My Favorite Mistake." She is on the board of the Equestrian Aid Foundation, an organization designed to assist those in the equestrian world suffering from life-threatening illness or catastrophic accidents by providing direct financial support for medical and other basic needs.
Georgina is also Equine Welfare Ambassador for the ASPCA, a member of the Equine Leadership Council for The Humane Society of the United States, on the Board of Trustees for the United States Equestrian Team Foundation, and a member of Friends of Finn, a group dedicated to helping The HSUS end the inhumane treatment of dogs in puppy mills.
