'America' Honored in Beverly Hills

We received a delightful surprise in the mail this week. At the 24th annual Genesis Awards, presented by the Humane Society of the United States, America received honorable mention for “Animal Welfare” by Kate Blake (March 23, 2009), which focused on our responsibility to all creation. The top of the citation reads: “Works worthy of acknowledgement. We express our appreciation for these significant contributions toward making this world a more humane place for all animals.” (In addition to the print category, awards were also given for TV/Film.)

The awards presentation, which took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on March 20, will be aired on the cable channel Animal Planet on Saturday and Sunday, April 24 and 25. (By the way, not surprisingly, the dinner was “gourmet vegan.”) We also received a spiral-bound book crammed with photo-essays of animals and their human friends/celebrities—including Tippi Hedren (who received this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award) and Gretchen Wyler—as well as profiles of the work of animal activists across the nation and stories of “victories” for a variety of endangered species.

Inserted in the program book was a card from H.S.A. describing its Faith Outreach program, which includes a variety of resources that can help promote animal protection in one’s own community. They also publish an “Animal Ministry Guide.” News to me is that there are churches around the country that provide free veterinary care in underserved areas, pet food drives, adoption events and much more. To learn about these and other programs, see their Web site.

As Ms. Blake rightly reminded her readers, “it dishonors the Creator when one ignores the welfare of what has been created….. Our place in creation is not that of master…. Our attempt to circumvent nature and God’s creation is nothing less than the sin of pride.”  Thank you, Humane Society of America, for your “amen” to that.

Patricia A. Kossmann