Law Librarian One
of Top Ten Finalists for Animal Planet Hero of the Year Award
By
Kara Phillips
Kara Phillips, Collection
Development Librarian/Associate Director at Seattle University Law Library
since 1997, has worked for various state agencies in Washington as a
contract librarian as well as the Gallagher Law Library East Asian Law
Department and Lane Powell Spears Lubersky. Recipient of a Blakemore
Fellowship, she studied Mandarin Chinese at the Stanford Center in Taipei,
Taiwan in 1996 and during her sabbatical in 2007 will work in China, setting
up an American legal collection at Shanghai Jiaotong University School of
Law.
Published
September 28, 2006
Law Librarian
Kristin Cheney, recipient of the 2005 Spirit of Law Librarianship Award
has been recognized nationally for her tireless work on behalf of seniors
and pets. Kristin has been selected from over 4,000 nominees as one of ten
finalists for the Animal Planet “Hero of the Year” award. Kristin is the
founder and Executive Director of the
Seniors with Pets Assistance
Program (SWP), a non-profit organization that provides vital support to
low income seniors with pets by supplying and delivering pet food, litter
and other pet-related items (flea products, collars, etc.) to their homes
all at no cost. Seniors with Pets also serves as a referral service to low
cost spay and neuter programs and vet care, and, subject to available funds,
furnishes financial assistance for pet care expenses such as adoption fees,
vaccinations and pet deposits. The program has grown over the last eight
years and currently serves over 250 seniors and over 700 cats and dogs on a
consistent basis. In addition, Seniors with Pets Assistance operates a pet
food bank that is open for qualifying seniors on a walk-in basis.
Kristin developed the program due to her passionate belief that seniors like
all others should be able to benefit from the friendship and companionship
of a pet. She states, “For many of my seniors, their pet is their only
family. An individual, particularly a senior, shouldn’t have to make the
decision between feeding themselves and feeding or otherwise caring for
their pet.” It is the only service of its kind in the Puget Sound region and
serves as a model for similar community-based and volunteer efforts in other
areas.
Director of
Seattle University Law Library and Professor of Law and Seattle
University School of Law as well as the founder and Executive Director of
the Seniors With Pets Assistance Program, Kristin essentially runs two
enterprises at the same time with equal amounts of dedication and energy.
Kristin brings her hands-on management philosophy in running the law library
to the administration of the Seniors With Pets Assistance Program as she is
involved in all aspects of managing the service. She does a little bit of
everything – returning phone calls, making referrals, repackaging and
delivering food, negotiating with local vets and landlords, soliciting
volunteers and donors, etc. Once or twice a month, you will find her in
Costco pushing around a big orange flatbed with 20-30 cases of pet food,
loading the food into the SWP van and then unloading it at the food bank.
On the weekends, she makes deliveries to her clients with whom she acts as
an advisor and advocate. She uses her legal and library training to
informally field questions pertaining to family law, landlord/tenant, social
security, criminal law, etc. In doing so, she often provides information on,
and referrals to, various local, state and federal agencies. As Kristin
explains, "The majority of my clients are not what we think of as the
stereotypical senior. As seniors on limited incomes, my clients face a
variety of challenges and live in diverse circumstances. I have had occasion
to deliver pet food to seniors living in cars, hotels and high crime areas.
Many times my clients just need someone to talk to, someone who will listen
to their problems."
Because of the program’s reputation, Kristin has been extremely successful
in partnering with other local service agencies to obtain supplies on a
regular basis. For example, the program receives food donations from the
Tacoma Pierce County Humane Society, the Emergency Food Network and St.
Leo’s Food Bank. The local Lady Eagles Auxiliary, a local chiropractor,
several local vets and Brownie Troop #880 have all held food donation drives
on behalf of SWP. For the last five years, Kristin has collaborated with
Meals on Wheels (MOW) to distribute pet food once-a-month at the same time
as they deliver meals to seniors. MOW also identifies seniors with pets and
refers them to Kristin’s organization for assistance.
Kristin has further developed these partnerships into an integrated
information referral network for seniors with pets. For example, Kristin
works closely with the Peninsula Spay/Neuter Project to promote their
services and also partners with Pierce County Animal Welfare, a local group
that helps underwrite veterinary bills. Likewise, these organizations
routinely refer their clients to Seniors With Pets Assistance for supplies.
Under Kristin’s direction and vision, this active referral network has
become an important resource for seniors to become aware of the range of
community resources available to care for their pets.
Kristin’s future goals for the program include expanding services to more
fully address veterinary care, transportation to veterinary appointments,
pet deposits, and adoption fees which will require her to focus her efforts
on cultivating potential donors and spend more time fundraising. Already,
she has successfully established ongoing charitable donation programs with
the Tacoma City Employees and for the past several years, has been the
designated charity for the Seattle University School of Law’s annual holiday
fund raising drive. She also regularly negotiates with local veterinarians
to offer senior discounts and/or payment plans to low income seniors with
pets.
By using her law library training and experience Kristin sets an example of
how law librarians can make a meaningful contribution to a social concern
and serve as a role model for the larger community. As founder and Executive
Director of the Seniors With Pets Assistance Program, she has made a
profound difference in the lives of the many seniors on fixed incomes who
have a pet or would like a pet, but who cannot afford the expenses
associated with caring for a pet (or several pets).
Hero of the Year Nominees are profiled
here.
|