Three-Year-Old Vegan Motivated by Empathy for All Living Beings
For Immediate Release:
November 7, 2011
Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382
Minneapolis -- PETA's annual contests saluting the radiance and appeal of vegetarians—sexiest celebrity vegetarian, sexiest vegetarian next door, and cutest vegetarian alive—have grown in popularity every year since their inception. And the contest designed especially for young kids is no exception. After hundreds of kids' photos and bios sent in from across the country were carefully sorted through, 3-year-old Lillian Knothe of Minneapolis was selected as one of the five female finalists in PETA's fifth annual Cutest Vegetarian Kid contest. Now, visitors to PETAKids.com can cast their vote for Lillian or any of the other finalists, and PETA will choose two winners—one girl and one boy.
"More and more Americans are going vegetarian every day, and young people—in Lillian's case, very young—are leading the charge," says PETA Assistant Manager Emily Nash. "It's no wonder: Vegetarians are slimmer, trimmer, and healthier, on average, than meat-eaters are, so they're bound to be a lot cuter too!"
Lillian has a passion for justice far beyond her years. And at only 3 years of age, she's also well versed in the cruelty inherent in the production of meat, milk, and eggs, and she enjoys letting nonvegans of all ages know what made her decide to stop eating animals, with the hope that they'll do the same. Lillian loves to play a superhero whose mission is to rescue all the baby cows who've been taken from their loving mothers and return them for a happy reunion. She has even coined her very own motto: "Everyone needs help!"
The winners will be determined by the passion demonstrated in their submitted responses, the number of votes received from the public, the enthusiasm demonstrated by the entrants in living and promoting a vegetarian lifestyle, and PETA's assessment of the cuteness of the photo. The winners, both a boy and a girl, will be announced on November 17. They will also be announced to their hometown media, and both winners will receive a special prize pack filled with PETA goodies as well as the opportunity to appear in their very own PETA Kids ad.
For more information and to vote, please visit PETAKids.com.