Compassionate Caregiving for those in Crisis

My name is JoAnn Lagace, and I am the founder of Paws N Claws for the Cause and visionary behind the National Animal Foster Network (NAFN).

 

This mission was not born in a boardroom — it was born from lived experience, hardship, and healing. I know what it means to rebuild a life from the ground up. Over fifteen years ago, I found sobriety after battling addiction and mental health challenges that nearly cost me everything. Through that journey, I also experienced domestic violence, homelessness, and the difficult decision so many face — what happens to your beloved pets when you must seek help?

 

Those experiences shaped my calling to work as a client advocate, supporting others in crisis, helping them navigate systems that too often overlook the deep bond between people and their animals. It was there that I saw the same heartbreaking pattern again and again — individuals ready to enter treatment or flee abuse, but refusing help because they had no safe place for their pets.

 

That realization lit the spark that became Paws N Claws for the Cause — an organization designed to keep families together through life’s hardest moments. Today, we not only provide temporary foster care for animals whose owners are in medical, mental health, substance recovery programs, the aging population, temporarliy incarcerated, spontaneous deployment, and those experiencing natural disasters, but we are also building something even bigger: the National Animal Foster Network — a data-driven, compassionate system to coordinate foster placements nationwide.

 

This mission is deeply personal. I am currently fostering for someone in long-term drug and alcohol recovery who is approaching two years sober — a milestone they attribute in part to knowing their pet was safe and loved. That experience proved that fostering is not just about animal care — it’s about human recovery, dignity, and hope.

 

Our goal is to make this kind of support available everywhere. Here in Colorado, we are establishing Paws N Claws for the Cause as both a local sanctuary and the national headquarters for the National Animal Foster Network, uniting shelters, foster families, and emergency services through innovative technology and compassion. With the support of the University of Colorado Boulder Capstone students, we are developing a national database and app to connect animals and fosters in real time — a system that will save lives, reunite families, and reduce shelter overcrowding across the country.

 

What began as my personal story of survival has grown into a collective movement of healing — for both people and animals. I invite you to stand with us as a partner, supporter, or advocate in building a safer, more humane nation — one foster, one family, and one life at a time.

 

With gratitude and purpose,

JoAnn Lagace

Founder | Paws N Claws for the Cause

Lead Developer | National Animal Foster Network

Email me: YourSuccessCoachJoAnn@gmail.com 

Mobile: 720-726-0058