Lauren Beader

Senior Copywriter
Small Army

PASSION:

Impacting communities of individuals with special needs and different abilities. Through her cats, social media, and even the publication of a book, Lauren is raising awareness for these communities and fostering acceptance for them worldwide.

IMPACT:

Lauren Beader isn’t your typical crazy cat lady. Through a shockingly viral Instagram account (@meetmayacat) for her cats, the publication of a children’s book about acceptance for those with disabilities, and as a fundraiser, supporter, and coach for a local Special Olympics gymnastics team, Lauren is beyond committed to advocating for the communities of those with special needs and raising awareness for their acceptance. Through her cat’s Instagram account, Lauren reaches out daily to her more than 300k followers to spread awareness: awareness of how adorable and special Maya (and her sister with paralyzed back legs, Dragon) is with her extra chromosomes, and to teach her followers a valuable lesson about a much overlooked, and oftentimes mistreated, population of people.

Lauren is wholeheartedly committed to doing everything that she can for this population of individuals with special needs, and was even able to use her influence to raise thousands of dollars for a Massachusetts Special Olympics fundraiser. Every dollar that Lauren has made, either through fundraising efforts, the sales of her book, or through social media influencing, has been donated to Special Olympics or to the animal shelter that she adopted Maya and Dragon from, whose mission is saving cats like Maya and Dragon—cats who are a little bit different, but still perfect in every way—from being put down. Lauren has been committed to being an advocate and making a difference for this population since childhood, and I can’t wait to see what she is able to accomplish and achieve in years to come. I know it’ll be big.