A Season That Reminds Us What We Stand For❄️
As the year begins to slow and the holiday season settles in, many of us find ourselves reflecting. The holidays — whatever they look like in each home — tend to gently ask the same questions:
What do we value? Who do we show up for? And how do we choose compassion when it matters most?
For us at The Jade Project, this season brings us back to our “why.”
Remembering Why The Jade Project Exists💚
The Jade Project exists because of a cat named Jade — a curious, gentle black-and-white tuxedo who loved exploring her neighborhood and greeting everyone she met. Jade’s life was changed forever when she was intentionally harmed, losing one of her front legs to a BB gun.
What followed was heartbreak — and then determination. Jade survived. She adapted. And her resilience became the foundation of something bigger than any one story.
The Jade Project was created so that what happened to Jade wouldn’t be dismissed, forgotten, or repeated. It was created to give cats a voice when they cannot speak for themselves, and to remind communities that cruelty is not inevitable — prevention and awareness matter.
“Out of pain came purpose — and out of one cat’s resilience came a promise to do better.”
A Holiday Reminder About Responsibility🎁
Many of us grew up watching the classic holiday movie A Christmas Story, where a wide-eyed kid dreams of a Red Ryder BB gun “with a compass in the stock.” It’s a nostalgic image — one that’s been wrapped in holiday humor for generations.
But here’s the part we don’t always talk about.
If a child is considered “ready” to receive a BB gun, they should also be ready to listen to — and follow — basic gun safety rules. That includes understanding that you never point a gun at something you do not intend to harm. It includes learning that domestic animals, including cats, are not targets. Harming a cat is not a prank, a mistake, or a lesson learned too late — it is an act of cruelty.
Gun safety isn’t just about protecting people. It’s also about protecting lives that are smaller, quieter, and unable to defend themselves.
The holidays remind us what we stand for. Responsibility should be part of the gift.
Use this link for more info on the basic rules of gun safety - Project ChildSafe
“Responsibility is part of kindness — especially when someone else’s safety depends on it.”
The Cats Behind the Stories
As our incident map has grown, so has the weight it carries. Each point represents a real cat. A real family. A moment where harm replaced safety.
While we will inevitably be sharing more individual stories in time, we want to pause here to acknowledge something important:
These are not just markers on a map. They are lives.
This project is not about numbers. It’s about remembering that every act of cruelty affects more than one moment — it leaves lasting ripples. During a season that encourages kindness and generosity, we believe it’s especially important to keep these cats in mind and to honor them by choosing compassion in their name.
(You can view our incident map from our homepage to better understand the scope of why awareness matters.)
What the Holidays Ask of Us
The holidays don’t have to be loud or perfect to be meaningful. Sometimes, they are simply a reminder of what we stand for — empathy, responsibility, and care for those who are vulnerable.
For us, that means continuing this work even when it’s hard. It means educating, advocating, and preparing — not just reacting after harm has occurred.
One of our long-term goals is building a dedicated fund to help provide financial support when future acts of cruelty happen, ensuring that cats and their families are not left alone to navigate medical and recovery costs.
Why Donations Matter — and Why They Make a Difference
The Jade Project is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which means donations made to support our work are tax-deductible as allowed by law. More importantly, it means every contribution goes directly toward our mission: awareness, prevention, education, and support.
When you donate, you are:
Supporting outreach and education that helps prevent future harm
Helping us maintain and expand resources like the incident map
Contributing to a growing fund dedicated to assisting in cases where cats need urgent support after acts of cruelty
“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
A Gentle Invitation This Season
If you are able, we invite you to consider supporting The Jade Project as part of your year-end giving. Whether through our website donation page or upcoming options like Facebook donations, every gift — large or small — is an act of compassion.
And if donating isn’t possible right now, there are still meaningful ways to help: sharing our mission, talking about awareness, and choosing kindness in your own community all make a difference.
As this year comes to a close, we are grateful — for Jade, for every cat whose story pushes us to do better, and for a community that believes animals deserve safety, dignity, and care.
This season, may we all be reminded of what we stand for — and choose compassion, again and again.
