CAA Celebrates Ten Years of Animal Advocacy

by Unny Nambudiripad

On April 4, 2008, 85 supporters attended CAA's annual banquet to toast our successes. Attendees bid on a silent auction, including such highlights as paintings of animals by Marly Cornell. We enjoyed a delicious meal, learned about the great variety and depth of work undertaken by CAA, and met with like-minded animal advocates.

Dave Rolsky, a CAA co-founder, gave a brief presentation on the history of CAA's activities. He explained how, ten years ago, we came together to put our vision of respect and justice for animals into action, to effect a positive change in the world.

Through our focus on veganism and factory farming, CAA has touched hundreds of human lives and saved thousands of animal lives during those ten years.

From the beginning, CAA has focused on advocating for farm animals and changing dietary habits. We have also been committed to being respectful and open with everybody we dealt with, including those that treat animals with cruelty. From 1999 to 2001, we carried out numerous investigations on Minnesota factory farms, documenting the horrendous abuse inflicted upon animals. Our work resulted in a mention in the New York Times, a video, local press coverage, and images used in millions of animal advocacy pamphlets.

More recently, we have focused our energy on outreach, education, and community building. Through the dedicated efforts of CAA volunteers, hundreds of thousands of leaflets have been distributed, increasing awareness of suffering on factory farms. In the past years, thousands of individuals have pledged to try vegetarianism, and we've held over one hundred social gatherings. We've also hosted a number of inspirational speakers from across the country, motivating us to continue our efforts to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.

We also heard from Pat Tullo, a generous donor, about why the work that we do is so important and deserves our support. Later, Mindy Gudmundson, a volunteer, explained how she learned about farm animal abuse from literature that CAA distributes, how she connected with us and started volunteering, and why her time has been both fun and rewarding.

Thanks to everybody who attended the banquet, and thanks to the volunteers, staff, and donors who make Compassionate Action for Animals happen.