Karen Ortolano, Neighbor

<strong>Karen Ortolano</strong> is Volunteer Media Relations Director for Young At Heart Pet Rescue and author of the Palatine Patch’s &#34;Pet of the Week&#34; column. She also contributes to the Lake Zurich Patch&#39;s &#34;Slightly Used Pets (Good for 100,000 More Smiles)&#34; under the rescue&#39;s name.

A professional writer, editor, and layout artist with hundreds of bylined credits, Karen brings more than 20 years of direct communications experience – along with an obvious love of pets and a passion for animal advocacy – to each and every article. As spokesperson for Young At Heart, she has been interviewed on WGN Midday News, on 101.9 WTMX &#34;Mix Matters,&#34; and in the New York Times.

An active volunteer with multiple Chicagoland pet rescues, she currently shares her home and her life with three dogs (a Boxer, a Pug, and a lovable mixed-breed bully), all of them older rescues.