2025 Recipient
Lanya Androlewicz, Coldwell Banker Legacy
for PACA Animal Rescue
For more than 25 years, Lanya Androlewicz has dedicated countless hours to improving the lives of animals throughout New Mexico. As President of the People's Anti-Cruelty Association (PACA), her commitment to animal welfare extends far beyond advocacy—it is rooted in hands-on service, community outreach, and creating opportunities for both animals and people to thrive. Today, she focuses on overseeing PACA's daily operations, helping coordinate veterinary care, animal intakes, and foster placements while working to expand the organization's network of foster families.
As a 2025 GAAR Good Neighbor recipient, Lanya is being recognized for her extraordinary commitment to volunteer service and her ongoing efforts to create a more compassionate community for animals and people alike.
Since joining PACA in 1999, Lanya spent many years serving as a foster caregiver for rescue dogs, providing them with safe, loving homes while they waited to be adopted. Through those experiences, she helped animals overcome challenges, build trust, and transition into permanent homes. Her firsthand experience caring for rescue animals helped shape the compassionate, foster-centered approach that continues to guide PACA's work today.
In addition to her operational leadership, Lanya leads community outreach initiatives designed to connect potential adopters, volunteers, and supporters with PACA's mission. Through educational events and public engagement, she has helped build a strong network of advocates dedicated to animal welfare and responsible pet ownership. Those efforts support PACA's foster-based approach, which allows the organization to better understand each dog's unique personality and needs, create successful matches with adoptive families, and provide rehabilitation and care for animals that might otherwise be overlooked.
One of Lanya's most impactful accomplishments was the creation of the PAZ Project, an innovative partnership between PACA and a juvenile detention center. The program paired rescue dogs with youth participants, providing the animals with training and socialization while giving the young people an opportunity to develop responsibility, compassion, and life skills. Built around research showing the connection between animal cruelty and interpersonal violence, the PAZ Project demonstrated how animal welfare initiatives can create meaningful change far beyond the shelter environment.
Behind the scenes, Lanya also plays a critical role in ensuring PACA's long-term success. She works closely with fellow volunteers and board members to manage budgets, secure resources, support spay and neuter initiatives, and ensure animals receive the veterinary care they need. She is also heavily involved in recruiting and supporting foster families, providing training, guidance, and ongoing assistance to help both animals and volunteers succeed.
For Lanya, the reward comes from seeing lives transformed—whether it's a rescue dog finding a forever home, a foster family discovering a passion for animal welfare, or a young person gaining confidence through the PAZ Project.
Her unwavering dedication to serving animals and the community embodies the spirit of the Good Neighbor Award. Through her leadership, compassion, and decades of volunteer service, Lanya has made a lasting difference in the lives of countless animals and the people who care for them.
Ways to Help
- Consider Being a Foster
Fostering a dog or puppy saves a life. Every foster home directly impacts the number of dogs PACA can help as a foster based rescue. Fostering dogs or puppies is a rewarding and fun experience. Fostering is a great way to enjoy a dog if you can’t add a dog to your household permanently. Get your puppy fix, and allow your family to contribute to a worthwhile cause, without a long-term commitment. Fostering a dog changes that dog’s life forever. - Financial Donations
PACA is a 501c3 non-profit organization. Your donations are tax-deductible and we will gladly provide a receipt upon request.
FEIN # 85-0261399 • NM01-1684480-08 - Amazon Wishlist
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