KMIV's First Podcast: Nathan Runkle

This is a lovely guest blog by hubby and guest blogger extraordinaire Steven Smith. While we both collaborated on the podcast below, Steve was the organizer of the interview and the writer of the lovely words below. Enjoy!

Today is a special day for three specific reasons.

One: KMIV is presenting its very first podcast!
 
Two: It's a hat trick!  We're sharing an interview with our third Animal Rights Hall of Fame Inductee!

Three: Well, the third reason takes the cake (oooh, did someone say cake?!) because our interviewee is none other than Nathan Runkle.  

With Nathan at The Chicago Diner.
Now Nathan Runkle isn't just any run-of-the-mill animal activist.  Nathan Runkle has been advocating for the animals since he was a baby.  Well, not quite.  But pretty close to it.  There are so many amazing activists out there that have made huge strides for animals in their lifetimes.  What makes Nathan so special isn't quite about the time he's dedicated to the animals (not yet, but it will inevitably be so one day) but how early he started doing so.  In 1999, at age 15, he founded Mercy For Animals, a national organization that leads the front for the compassionate treatment of farmed animals.  And just last year, at age 25, he was inducted into the Animal Rights Hall of Fame, alongside the esteemed names of Gene Baur, Zoe Weil (two of our KMIV ARHOF interviewees!), Ingrid Newkirk, Peter Singer, and many, many more.

Photo courtesy of Satya Magazine.
From grassroots organizing and demonstrating to mainstream media interviews; from releasing undercover animal abuse videos to producing Fowl Play, an award winning documentary on the hen-laying industry; from hands-on rescues and rehabilitations to assisting the passing of important animal protection legislation; well, you might say that Nathan Runkle has done it all.  But he has a lot of years left, and, if you ask him, he has a lot more to do.  Many of us dream to achieve what Nathan Runkle has done in our lifetime.  And while he has made such a positive, dramatic impact still just in his youthful years, he's shown us this: all it takes is a dream, a lot of passion, and a genuine want to help.

A true inspiration to us all, enjoy our first podcast interview with Nathan Runkle.
 

Mercy For Animals is a national 501(c)(3) non-profit animal advocacy organization. Founded in 1999 and over 50,000 members and supporters strong, MFA works to create a society where animals are treated with the respect and compassion they so rightly deserve. 

In honor of the upcoming World Go Vegan Week, Mercy For Animals has teamed up with various restaurants in participating cities throughout the United States.  Check out the link below to see if your city is one of the participating venues and how else to get involved with the worldwide celebration! 


Many thanks to Nathan for this wonderful podcast! To learn more about Nathan Runkle and Mercy For Animals, please visit www.mercyforanimals.org. If you're interested in learning more about a vegan diet, MFA has a wonderful website you can visit: www.chooseveg.com.

Comments

CurlyLocks said…
Your first podcast was wonderful! Nathan Runkle is an amazing, inspiring, young man!
dirtyduck said…
wow thats really impressive!!!that picture of him is beautiful. you can SEE the compassion in him as he holds that little chicken so gently.

you have an award at my blog, (no pressure to repost)
Angela said…
WOW! Just when I thought your blog was the best EVER, you do a podcast! I love how your always expanding your site, coming up with creative ideas and engaging your readers all while providing great information. I also appreciate the collaboration between you and Steven. Yeah teamwork! Oh, and Nathan is awesome, of course.
Unknown said…
amazing podcast. It's so awesome that he was 15 yrs old and had a vision. That's a life being lived out loud.