Lisa Jakub for ASPCA

Name: Lisa Jakub

What is your job? I’m a writer. Former actor. Current wife, yogi and dog-mom

What social causes are most important to you? So many social causes are critical. I used to get paralyzed by my desire to help everything – and ended up doing nothing! But then I thought about what had a major impact on my life, and it’s our senior rescue dog, Grace. We adopted her from the SPCA a couple of years ago when she was about 7 years old. She is a wonderful friend and profound teacher in lessons on joy, forgiveness and presence. 

 What charities do you support – and how? My husband and I donate to several different charitable causes, and I volunteer at our local animal shelter. I socialize cats (I have scratches all over my arms to prove it) clean litter boxes, chat with puppies, send thank you notes to donors…whatever needs to be done. 

Why do you have a passion for this one in particular, is there a personal tie? I’ve always felt a deep connection to animals. I don’t have siblings and I was a child actor, so I didn’t spend much time with other kids. My pets were my best friends. When we rescued Grace, I realized how meaningful it was to provide an older animal with a loving home and a second chance at a good life. Everyone deserves that.

 

Is there a particular way you would want to encourage readers to be involved? “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” – Howard Thurman.

Everyone has different passions and different strengths, so I think that people should donate time or money to the causes that are closest to their hearts. Plus, when you give to a local cause, you are supporting your community as well as the charity.

How would you define social responsibility? Everyone has the ability to reduce the amount of suffering in the world, in big or small ways. And if you can - you must.

Do you have any tattoos that relate to your social work? 

I have a tattoo of a tree on my shoulder blade. To me, it represents strength and flexibility, inner stillness and connectedness. Those are all qualities that animals seem to possess inherently, and they are things that I’m working on! My tattoo acts as a beautiful reminder of who I want to be in the world.