COK 4-Ever

I am SUCH a big advocate of Compassion Over Killing (COK) and thrilled to see that they have again launched their TV spots on MTV. Let me tell you why I heart COK so much.

About a year and a half ago, one fall evening, I was watching TV at home with the two Boo Bears (Jakers & Mabel) and saw a short, maybe 30-second, TV spot on MTV. It was this little girl sitting at a table, about to enjoy breakfast, when a voiceover asks her if she knows where her food comes from and then shows behind-the-scenes footage of factory farms. (I just checked, and they are still using that spot! Watch it here!) It's like I had never thought too deeply about it to realize that the animals on our plate do not get to frolick freely in meadows or socialize as animals naturally do. I, as someone who worked in advertising and should know better, had bought into the "Happy Cows of CA" and "Milk, Does a Body Good" messages that were being thrust at me. I didn't think otuside that frame of reference to realize it was all an advertising ploy!
The end of the commercial has a web address for tryveg.com and since I was on my computer, I immediately went to the site and ordered a vegeterian starter kit.

I pretty much went veg from that night on (still eating seafood, though). Then, the following May (2008), I attended Their Lives,Our Voices, a conference held in Minneapolis to address animal advocacy issues. And one of the sessions I sat in was led by Erica Meier, Executive Director of COK and she talked about those TV spots and how they really are impacting peoples' lives. I felt kind of out of place the entire weekend, being new to the animal advocacy scene, but I knew it was a sign. During Q&A at the end, I raised my hand and told Erica that those ads are what brought me to that very conference that weekend...and how much they changed my life. I could feel tears prickling at my eyes, because it felt so good to be able to thank the person responsible for my life change.
And by the end of that weekend, I was fully dedicated to a vegan lifestyle and have never turned back!

I have since stayed in touch with Erica and think what she and her fellow COK'ers are doing is incredible. They have a tiny office and staff in DC - and the budget of a nonproft! - but create such powerful messages. They are doing so much in the fight for animals.

So that's why these ads mean so much to me. They opened my eyes to this cause that I am so passionate about. I hope you check out their website and, if you can, donate to their cause.