PETA’s latest community awards ceremony and fundraising event was held at The Sacred Space Miami, a beautiful, lush garden spot that hosts popular wellness events and workshops. PETA supporters and guests gathered to enjoy delicious food from Plant Miami (located next to the event venue) and hear the latest news from PETA President Ingrid Newkirk and PETA scientists about our innovative and successful work to prevent millions of animals from being used in experiments.

PETA Honorary Director Nanci Alexander, who founded both the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (based in Fort Lauderdale) and Sublime, the first gourmet vegan restaurant in the country, kicked off the event by presenting awards to some very deserving individuals.

Nanci—who donated a mobile veterinary clinic to support PETA’s spay/neuter program, which has sterilized over 150,000 animals in Virginia and North Carolina, is the namesake of our Nanci Alexander Center for Animal Rights. She presented awards to four South Florida animal advocates, including Jessica Spain, an activist who has protested the Miami Seaquarium’s incarceration of Lolita, a lone orca who’s been in a tiny concrete pool there for more than 30 years. Jessica also helped PETA Latino unveil a circus exposé with well-known actor Kate del Castillo. In fact, she’s done it all—gathered research, led protests, participated in tabling events, volunteered to help at other fundraisers, and much more.

Also honored were Emily Sarasa and Emilia Kosonen of Knights for Animal Rights, a student organization at the University of Central Florida that’s part of PETA’s national campus animal rights outreach network. Emily and Emilia helped pass a resolution banning the display of wild and exotic animals on campus, gave away free vegan food samples to interested students and faculty members, and screened the film Dominion for hundreds of fellow students. They’re also hosting an “Anti–Animals in Entertainment” week of action on campus in the near future.

The final awardee, Kiara Benac, wasn’t able to attend PETA’s event, so Nanci had the honor of presenting her award to her parents, Doira and Cid Benac. Kiara, who received a PETA 2017 Outstanding Activist Award, has participated in and led countless animal rights demonstrations and served as a peta2 campus representative at Wellesley University. Most recently, she wore an orca costume outside the Miami Seaquarium to protest the anniversary of Lolita’s capture and dressed as a “Lettuce Lady” in Havana, Cuba, where she and PETA staffer Ashley Byrne promoted vegan living and animal rights.

We hope these activists inspire you to get active for animals in your backyard, university, or community! Please keep an eye out for PETA events in your area at which your help is needed. You could be the next activist recognized for speaking out and helping animals.