9-Year-Old Animal Advocate in Baltimore Named PETA Kids’ 2026 All-Star for Animals
For Immediate Release:
September 17, 2026
Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382
From comforting rescued turkeys, pigs, and goats at local farm sanctuaries to speaking out against cruel experiments on beagles, 9-year-old Hayley Felicity is on a mission to help animals wherever she can. Now, PETA Kids—part of PETA’s youth division—has named this compassionate Baltimorean the winner of its 2026 All-Star for Animals Contest.
A lifelong vegan, Hayley recognizes that animals used in the meat, egg, and dairy industries are thinking, feeling individuals, just like the animals we share our homes with—including her beloved rescued cat Fortitude. Among her favorite ways to speak up for animals are writing sidewalk-chalk messages encouraging her neighbors to go vegan and chanting “Let Them Be Free!” outside Whole Foods Market in Harbor East; urging passersby outside ice cream shops and pizza parlors to skip dairy; and holding Thanksgiving memorials at local grocery stores, where she places flowers on turkeys’ bodies to honor their lives. She even held an illuminated “Go Vegan” sign on the Howard Street overpass above Interstate 83 during rush hour.
“Animals have a friend in Hayley Felicity, who’s proving that even the youngest voices can speak volumes against cruelty,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “PETA Kids is proud to honor Hayley, who is making the world a kinder place for all and showing other young people how easy and fun it is to make an impact for animals in need.”
Hayley’s story is featured on the PETA Kids website to inspire kind kids everywhere, and she will also receive a LEGO® Sea Animals: Beautiful Dolphins* building set, a PETA Kids T-shirt, a Pidgey the Pigeon Plushie, and a vegan ice cream party for her entire school.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out thatEvery Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits. For more information on PETA Kids, please visit PETAKids.com or follow PETA Kids on Facebook and Instagram.
