Kids Against ANimal Cruelty, started by Lou Wegner, a 16-year-old actor and singer from Columbus, Ohio is one of the country’s fastest growing animal rescue organizations. Lou started the organization when he was 14 and used social networking to encourage adoptions at high-kill animal shelters. According to the Associated Press, KAAC has helped 20,000 pets escape euthanasia since the time it was established.

Lou became aware the plight of homeless pets when he was in Los Angeles to make the short firm “Be Good to Eddie.” Lou volunteered at a shelter because his film’s director recommended it and that’s when he learnt about the kill policies of such shelters. “It was heartbreaking. All these dogs crying in their cages. Knowing they would be put down broke my heart,” he said. Unlike most people, Lou decided to do something about it and started KAAC, which has grown into a nation-wide organization.

According to the Washington Post  KAAC chapters around the country are run by teens, including a pair of sisters in New York City who worked with several groups to find lost animals and get food to people whose pets were starving in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. An Arizona chapter is run by one of Lou’s nephews, and a cousin heads the Minnesota chapter.

Lou’s entertainment career is just starting to take off , but he’s already learning how to use his fame to help animals. He almost always wears a t-shirt with a KAAC logo when he’s events where he’ll be photographed or when the paparazzi are lurking.

Lou (who advocates a no-kill policy) hopes to have a chapter in every state eventually, “because the bigger the group you work with, the bigger difference you can make.”

Let’s hope his wishes come true and that he continues to inspire kids (and adults) across the country about the problem of homeless animals and the benefits of pet adoption.

Image Source: Dave Parker/Flickr