TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
I am writing this letter to nominate Kalla Jaco for the Above and Beyond Junior Service Award. I feel that she is very qualified
and it would be wonderful if she would receive this prestigious honor.
I have known Kalla since I got into Australian Shepherds, 9 years ago. Even at such a young age she was very active in her
local club’s (Rock River Valley ASC) shows and events. Kalla and her mother are usually the first ones to a show site and the
last ones to leave, all the while working at making the show a success. This devoted participation has never ceased over her
10 years of membership to the club, and I suspect that it will continue past her junior days.
Many of the members and juniors in our local show circuit look up to Kalla and see her as not only a peer, but as a wealth of
information. I have often seen the juniors asking Kalla to quiz them quickly before they walk in the junior ring, in case a judge
springs them with a question. Even when she is busy with her own dogs, Kalla is always quick to help another person when
they need a hand. I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say her selfless devotion to promoting the Australian Shepherd and
their owners as a reputable group is greatly admired.
Kalla has been showing in juniors since she was tossed in the ring as a pee-wee with her and her mother’s first Aussie. It has
been a pleasure to watch her mature into the exceptional handler that she has become. Judges have even told Kalla that they
wished she would show their dogs and have referred to her as a great role model for the other juniors. Kalla always takes
these compliments modestly and has a great attitude whether she wins or loses.
Over the past few years Kalla has been through a lot. After the tragic loss of three of their dogs in a six month period and the
passing of both of Kalla’s grandparents, she took some time off from showing. She came back for the 2003 Nationals in West
Bend, WI to be rewarded with a Best Junior Handler at Nationals under Judge Shelley Hollen. She showed her other dogs to
perfection; it was like she had never been gone. Kalla always motivated herself not to dwell on the past, but to get back up on
her feet and show everyone that she was as good as we all knew she was.
Within the dog showing world Kalla has done a lot to promote not only this breed, but many others and has demonstrated how
to be a wonderful home for your dog. Kalla has been a trainer at the Western Waukesha County Dog Training Club for 4 years,
teaching conformation, agility, obedience, and puppy classes. She does this all on a volunteering basis. Kalla is also the
junior chair of the ASCA Junior Committee for her second year running. She plans to go on to college to become a canine
behaviorist, further amplifying her love for dogs.
Outside of the dog showing world Kalla is active in more than you could imagine. She is an excellent student, currently enrolled
in many advanced placement courses. Her teachers adore her and many have offered to write college recommendation letters
for her. Kalla is also an active member of the Caretakers of the Environment, the Human Relations Coalition, the Global Action
Awareness Team, the Thinking Club, and the Drama Club – in which she received a lifetime membership to the International
Thespian Society for giving over 300 hours of service to the club. In addition to all this, Kalla has been holding down a steady
job at a local restaurant where she is well-liked and respected by her employers and fellow employees alike.
I would like to end this letter by saying how glad I am to have met Kalla. She is a wonderfully thoughtful and charismatic person
and treats people and dogs with all the respect, and sometimes more, than they deserve. It is my pleasure to nominate Kalla
Jaco for the Above and Beyond Junior Service Award and I hope that you see in her everything that we do.
Sincerely,
Julie Kolp