Palm Harbor, FL (January 13, 2021) – Young local humane hero, Austin Testa, is featured in the January/February 2021 edition of Kind News magazine, a children’s magazine published by RedRover, a national animal welfare nonprofit.
At the young age of just six years old, Austin founded the 501c3 nonprofit organization “Every Bark Counts,” to help animals in need. He was first inspired to help when he went to the store to buy LEGO toys and walked past a shelf of fleece blankets. The blankets made him think of shelter dogs in outdoor cages during winter, which upset him, so he told his mom he wanted to help.
“Every Bark Counts because animals can’t speak for themselves,” said Austin. “We are the voice for the voiceless and all animals depend on us to protect them and be their voice. When we work together we do make a difference for the voiceless. Let’s work together and help your local shelters and rescues. Because of them, the animals get a second chance at life and love.”
Since starting his nonprofit six years ago, Austin has raised more than $85,000 for supplies and care for thousands of animals, and even saved a pregnant horse from the slaughterhouse. He raises money through t-shirt sales, sponsorships and by selling cotton candy and popcorn at local festivals. With these funds, he buys food and supplies for animals at shelters across the nation. The funds are also used to supplement emergency veterinary care for animals in need.
“We are thrilled to highlight the incredible work that Austin has done to help so many animals across the country,” said RedRover President and CEO Nicole Forsyth. “We hope his work inspires other young people to help the less fortunate, including furry and feathered friends, and to continue to spread kindness.”
Kind News uses articles and short features to highlight issues affecting animals, and provides tips for understanding animal behavior and caring for pets. Each issue features a young Humane Hero, game or activity, MUTTS comic strip, Critter Clues, and much more.
Do you know a child who goes above and beyond to show kindness towards animals? Submit a kindness story for a chance to be featured on RedRover’s social media, and potentially be chosen as a Humane Hero: http://kindnews.org/shareyourstory.
To learn more about Kind News and view Austin’s feature, visit: KindNews.org.
About Kind News:
Kind News magazine™ is an eight-page, full-color RedRover publication that helps children understand animals and think about why treating animals and people with kindness matters. The publication is available in two reading versions: Kind News,Jr. for grades K-2 and Kind News for grades 3-6, and is distributed five times throughout the school year. The magazine is available in print or as an interactive, digital edition. To learn more visit: KindNews.org.
About RedRover
Since 1987, RedRover has focused on bringing animals out of crisis and strengthening the human-animal bond through emergency sheltering, disaster relief services, financial assistance and education. For the fifth consecutive year, RedRover has earned a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator. To learn how RedRover is building a more compassionate world, , visit RedRover.org
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Contact:
Sheri Madsen
916.600.8157 cell
smadsen@redrover.org