Breaking the Chain children's contest

In 2004 I founded Breaking the Chain, a children's creative writing and art contest to teach kindness and compassion to animals. Third grade children in the Phoenix public schools read a short story I wrote about Joey, a chained dog, and how he is freed by the neighbor's cat, the great Harriet. They are challenged to find a solution for Joey's dilemma and write or draw a solution to the story.

The contest is a humane education project of the Phoenix Animal Care Coalition (www.pacc911.org) of which I am a board member. Over the years we've had numerous heartwarming and empathetic entries. We recently published a book about the contest with a handful of the entries. All proceeds benefit homeless animals in Arizona. Breaking the Chain is a wonderful way to spread compassion say our long list of supporters.