She's Stepped Up to the Plate

Carol Kozlovich walks. She walks dogs, she walks for fitness, and she walks for the women of the Congo.

Last year when she took the first step on her fundraising "Journey of a Thousand Miles," she could only have imagined the trek would continue beyond those 1,000 miles. But that's what she's doing in 2011: walking to raise funds for women.

"In order for us to make the world a better place, we need to raise the status of women," said Kozlovich, who is collecting money for Women for Women International, which supports women in war-torn regions with financial and emotional aid, job-skills training, rights education and small business assistance.

Her first goal was $3,000; now it's $50,000.

"I don't care if I have to walk 5,000 miles, I'll do whatever it takes," the Redondo Beach resident told Patch after walking the final 16 miles of a 3,000 mile journey in late November.

She did an extra three miles on that Palos Verdes Estates walk because, she said, "It was a beautiful day."

Talk with Kozlovich, whose Creature Comforts pet sitting business takes her all over the South Bay, and you meet a determined woman with a sunny disposition.

"Walking a thousand miles helped me understand that I can make a difference," she said. "A lot of women say that they would like to do something with this organization. I say you don't have to organize your own event, you can be your own event."

Indeed, reaching that $3,000 goal has turned an ending into a beginning and Kozlovich is the event.

Though she has always been an endurance athlete, racing in marthons and triathalons, it wasn't until her mother died unexpectedly that she decided to change her life to work for others. She had worked in marketing and market research for years and took a sharp turn when her sister said, "Stop working for your own survival and follow your passion."

Kozlovich then enrolled in classes to become a veterinary technician and animal massage therapist. Her Creatue Comforts services include pet sitting, giving medication, animal massage, trail hikes and dog walking.

"I had always been a huge environmental rights and animal rights activist, but then a friend of mine turned me on to Women for Women International," said Kozlovich. After educating herself in the issues that were facing the women of the Congo she decided to combine her passion for walking and international service to begin her 1,000-mile journey.

"If I were to meet one of the women that my walk went to help, I would thank her for inspiring me," she said. "What inspires me is the courage and the hope they carry in their heart for a better life. I find that so inspirational. I would tell them never to give up their hope."

Kozlovich, who likes a challenge, said that the most challenging part of her first 1,000 miles was not the endurance it took but raising money.

"The hardest part was asking friends for money, but it didn't matter how much they gave. I would take a dollar if people offered it," she said.

She has been heartened by the e-mails she's received from strangers, helping her realize the impact she was having. Clients and friends have been very supportive too.

Her goal is to raise $50,000 and she says she'll keep walking until she does, noting that charitible contributions worldwide are down. "I would just like to reach more people," she said. "A thousand miles seems a long way, but you just have to start walking.

"I feel like I'm beginning something. I would say just start doing something—things take on a momentum of their own when you just start something."