Congratulations to Lionel of Kendall Park, New Jersey! He’s our 2025 All-Star for Animals Contest winner. 🎉

Lionel, 12, became vegan when he was only four years old. His family decided to go vegan to help save animals, and Lionel has continued to save nearly 200 animals every year for the past eight years by being vegan.

Lionel speaks up for animals often! You can find him at protests and marches advocating for all sorts of animal issues. Recently, he’s gone to protests that advocate against bears being hunted, that share with passersby about the cruelty of animals used for clothing, and to speak up against animals used as “projects” in the 4H program. Lionel also hands out leaflets and literature about eating vegan and being kind to animals at his local veg fest. He loves to share vegan food with people who are curious about an animal-free lifestyle. He regularly attends his church’s vegan potluck, where he can hang out with other vegans and share his delicious vegan food with others. In addition, Lionel makes sure he’s sharing with his friends and classmates about how eating vegan can help animals.

When he’s not out being a superhero for animals, Lionel loves to cross-country run. He’s often training for his next 5k race and continuously places second or third in all his runs, which is so impressive! He also loves to drum, participate in theater, and take care of his sweet senior rescue dog, Ariel.

Lionel loves vegan tacos and burritos, tofu, Japanese BBQ, and his dad’s homemade apple strudel. His favorite animal is the wolf because he’s fascinated by how they communicate and loves that they’re long-distance runners—just like him! When he grows up, he wants to work with his dad to help combat the housing crisis by creating more affordable housing so everyone can have a roof over their head.