Jason Cooke, HHPP Founder
Jason Cooke was born and raised by his mother Rebecca right here in the Mahoning Valley. Surrounded by family who instilled upon him the importance of caring for dogs and cats, he knew at a very early age that his four-legged friends needed help and he promised to do whatever he could to change their lives for the better.
An eventual graduate of Youngstown State University with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and a love for mathematics, Jason worked in his teens and twenties as a computer programmer and electrical designer for manufacturing and automotive companies throughout the United States. Despite his success in the field, he never forgot the childhood promise he made and eventually left his career behind to begin making good on that promise.
He began volunteering at Animal Charity of Ohio in December of 2010 — quickly gaining notice by their board members for his work ethic and uncanny fundraising abilities. He would soon join the board of directors at Animal Charity and ascend to the presidency of the board within a year.
Presiding over the only humane society in Mahoning County and seeing firsthand the abuse and neglect of companion animals, Jason knew that he needed to do more to protect those who have no voice and resigned his position in August of 2014 to pursue change at the state and local level.
Between 2015 and 2018, he gave testimony on numerous animal bills at the Statehouse; helped lift two pit bull bans; worked with local governments to implement tethering laws and got Ohio’s first law passed making bestiality a crime.
Finally in June of 2018, he would make good on that promise he made as a child while attending a Mahoning County Commissioner meeting about the fate of heartworm positive dogs at the Mahoning County Dog Warden. A commitment was made by him during subsequent meetings to save the lives of heartworm positive dogs through whatever means necessary, and it was during these meetings that the seeds of what would become The Healthy Hearts and Paws Project were planted.
Through dedication, passion, and an eye always toward the future, that childhood promise was finally fulfilled and a new organization was launched to give a voice to those who can only bark.
