CARLSBAD, Calif. (KGTV) -- Turtles might move slow but they're quick when it comes to stealing hearts — at least that was the case for 11-year-old Genevieve, of Carlsbad.
"I've loved them my whole life, I did my first rescue at first with a turtle," Genevieve said.
Genevieve is a full-time sixth grader but spends any free time she can spare fostering animals, 2020 was no exception.
"During the pandemic, we got our first pair of kittens who got adopted quick, then got our second pair," she described.
And 2020 was also the year her passion and love for fostering would grow into a permanent mission to save animals.
"Instead of continuing to foster because I knew I couldn't do it when the pandemic went away, I thought, 'why not be on the other end of it and I'll be the way giving other families their fosters,'" she said.
So she launched a GoFundMe last November, asking each donor for $2, and her request rapidly increased to nearly $7,000 by early January. Now, she's days away from launching an official 501(3)(c) non-profit called A Purpose for Pets, connecting more families to adopt and foster animals by partnering with local organizations.
"We hope to seek a cage-free environment for animals in a no-kill world. Then, we'd like to expand our capabilities to rescue other animals like horses and have a cage-free building where can keep animals, so we don't have to rely on just fosters," said Genevieve.
Genevieve will be the youngest owner of a non-profit for animals in San Diego County.
"No matter how old you are you can always make a difference in an animal's life," she says.
When asked what her parent's thought of her efforts and lead towards making a difference, she replied, "I think at this point they realized it wasn't just a phase."
