By Wesley P. Hester
Media General News Service

Eleven-year-old Powhatan County resident Monica Plumb is the Kid of the Year.

That’s according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which honored Monica last week at the Humane Awards Luncheon in New York City.

Plumb was awarded the “Tommy Monahan” Kid of the Year Award for developing a Web site with the help of her father to collect online donations to buy oxygen pet masks for fire departments.

The award’s namesake, 9-year-old Tommy Monahan, died in 2007 trying to save his pet from a house fire in Staten Island, N.Y.

“It really means a lot,” said Monica, a sixth-grader at Pocahontas Middle School. “It means that people really appreciate what I’m doing and more people will hear about what I’m doing and be willing to donate so I can help save more animals.”

Being too young to volunteer at a shelter, Monica arrived at the idea for her Web site at the ripe age of 10 after seeing a news story about a dog that was saved from a house fire thanks to the mask.

“I thought that it would be something really needed and good to raise money for,” she said. “I started with Powhatan and got some money for them. That was really easy and fun, so I just kept going.”

The cup-shaped masks are specially designed to fit cats, dogs, ferrets and even birds and reptiles. Each kit cost $55 and in its first year, the site has raised nearly $10,000, allowing her to donate about 140 sets to departments across Virginia and in 14 other states.

“It’s incredible. I’m just blown away by how dedicated she is,” said Monica’s father, William Plumb. “This has gotten to be a lot, and she’s actually learning a lot about how businesses operate. She’s getting a lot from this.”

Earlier this year, Monica received the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ Compassionate Kid Award.

Monica, who plans to become a veterinarian, is also a volunteer at the Richmond Animal League.

“Monica exemplifies the ASPCA’s mission of kindness and compassion toward animals, and has shown tremendous potential for effecting positive change at such a young age,” said ASPCA President and CEO Ed Sayres.

Monica said she knows of at least one animal her masks have saved — a cat named Cracker.

“It was really great and made me feel really good I was able to save an animal,” she said.