With the holidays just around the corner, children of all ages are already pestering their parents for the latest games and gadgets. But Columbia Station’s nine-year-old Karlie Smick is not your typical child. She is already thinking beyond the holidays to January, and making plans for her annual charity event, Karlie’s Cause.

This January will be Karlie’s 4th annual pet food drive fundraiser to benefit a deserving Greater Cleveland animal rescue group. Karlie began her annual event the eve of her seventh birthday. Her birthday falls so close to Christmas, she felt no need for more gifts or a birthday party. Instead, Karlie asked that in lieu of birthday gifts, donations be made to her cause.

Each year, Karlie’s Cause does better than the year before. Her 2010 event netted more than $5,000 in pet food donations and hundreds of dollars. The lucky rescue group benefitting from all the good will was Grafton’s Ziggy’s Friends.

Karlie has already decided that Ziggy’s will be the recipient again this year. One of the shelter’s founders, Bruce Arnesen, passed away in October. Karlie wants to make sure his widow, who has taken over the shelter, receives the support she needs to keep the rescue going.

To spread the news each year, Karlie and her mom contact newspapers and make donation boxes available around the community. Karlie pitches her fundraiser to the student council at school to get the other children involved. The school backs Karlie’s Cause each year, accepting donations in the cafeteria and main office. New or gently used donations of pet treats, food, leashes, collars and other pet supplies are welcome.

Karlie says she has a “really big heart for animals” and her annual event “makes her heart full of joy”.

Karlie has a big heart for animals, but that’s not all she’s up to. She also volunteers at the church her family attends and gives away her gently used toys and clothing to the less fortunate. You’ll also find her donating at the local food bank several times a year.

“She takes great pride in helping others,” her mother, Kelly, said. “I couldn’t be more proud of her.”

The community couldn’t be prouder, either. This past summer, Columbia Station presented Karlie with their “2011 Volunteer of the Year” award. She received a plaque from the Ohio House of Representatives that deemed her a shining example to her community.