Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordan Covington of The KG Foundation.
Hi Jordan, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, tell our readers how your foundation originated.
Thanks for this opportunity. Our family started The KG Foundation after losing my fiancé, Kristopher Gorlitz, in 2020 a few weeks before our wedding day. The foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit supporting animal rescues, shelters, outreach groups, and owners with spay/neuter, shots and vet needs, food, supplies, and rehoming. My life’s work is continuing to serve my community in his honor doing something we both loved.
Kris, my high school sweetheart, and I both grew up with dogs. We rescued, fostered, and rehabbed shelter/street dogs together. It started with one and over the course of our relationship, along with our family’s help, we have helped hundreds of dogs…and counting!
In 2016, we started local outreach by hosting a donation drive from our own home. We posted on social media and did all the collecting from friends and family ourselves.Our event was so successful that we completely packed multiple pick-up trucks with food and supplies and drove it to Detroit Animal Care and Control. The shelter staff was so touched that we held a second drive for the holidays that same year, which has now turned into an annual event. Our 2022 donation drive was so large that we filled multiple trucks and even one U-Haul full of donations helping several shelters and rescues.
“Fixing the Future” is our 2023 initiative to educate pet owners and spay/neuter play cover costs and transportation for the visit. Our clinic partner spays/neuters dogs for $120 and cats for $40. If your readers would like to contribute, we accept donations thru our website.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way?
It has been anything but a smooth road getting to this point. There are days when I don’t feel like I’ve done enough. I know I’m not alone when I say that I put an insane amount of pressure on myself to honor Kris with the work we do. The “Kris way” is caring with a smile on your face, love in your heart, and compassion for what the day brings.
A lesson I learned is that helping one animal and one owner must be enough some days. Delivering a U-Haul to a shelter feels amazing! However, helping a familytransport 1 dog to be spayed helps control the population. I know that there are a lot of families and pets in need, but we do not have that kind of manpower or budget. It’s not realistic. I’m only one person and I have seen how powerful one person’s impact on this world can be. It’s because of my love for Kris that I’m hyper focused on doing more.
I learned to set realistic daily goals to help take stock of the good I do. That keeps me moving forward on the tough days. However, I also find setting big hairy audacious goals (BHAG) are a great motivator! Our current BHAG is securing a property to start the “The KG Recovery Home”- a quiet place for dogs to have a safe, clean, and happy “almost home” environment while they await their fur-ever homes. We’d also provide science based, free free dog training to increase the stick rate of dogs staying at their adopted homes. I myself have my CPDT-KA (Certified Pet Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed) and look forward building our team of skilled individuals.
Keeping your focus on days filled with grief are a challenge. Losing my best friend and life partner washard. Doing the work, we used to do with Kris keeps his memory alive. I know he is proud of us. When we do something big or something new, we are reminded that we can’t celebrate it with Kris, and my heart aches a little. To keep my focus, I remind myself that nothing worth doing is easy. Our work is easier when we focus on the reasonfor the work – our love for Kris and our love of animals.
Your foundation is doing incredible work for our community. What else should our readers know about it?
The KG Foundation is a small, but mighty group. Our vision to serve our community drives us forward and makes us more successful every year. We started this non-profit organization to honor Kris and his beautiful light that he brought to this world. The kindness and gratitude we put into our world thru our work fuels us to do more. Our purpose is to give back to the community in as many ways as humanly possible and to always be a light in this world. There are lots of ways to get involved to help our mission. If your readers want to join us, we’re always seeking donations (goods or funds) and manpower too! Reach out to us through our website.
To wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Yes, we’d like to thank everyone who has supported us. Support comes to us in many ways, and we are so grateful for each of you. Everything you give allows us to help one more animal that day. We are overwhelmed with the number of animals in need right now. There isn’t a season of need – it’s an everyday calling. The rescue “glow-ups”, fur-ever home givers, donors, and our generous community honor Kris and propel us forward. Thank you for your support, light, and love. The KG Foundation has a lot in store for 2023 and the future. Visit our website and follow us on the socials.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thekgfoundation.org/
- Instagram: the_kg_foundation
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thekgfoundation/
