Tom Scholz was honored for his philanthropy work by the annual Animal Rights National Conference in Los Angeles, being presented with the Celebrity Animal Advocate of the Year Award in recognition of his long-term support of animal rights on July 22.

Tom, who was accompanied by his wife Kim, dedicated the award to Brad Delp, who supported his work through the DTS Charitable Foundation to help protect all life from needless suffering. He explained that Brad was a principal contributor to the foundation, which has helped many organizations like FARM USA. In his remarks, Tom paid tribute to Brad. Over the years, Scholz and Delp, also a longtime vegetarian and animal rights advocate, supported similar causes through their contributions they made to Scholz’s DTS Charitable Foundation.
 
“His commitment to ethical vegetarianism over thirty years ago was a major factor in my emerging awareness of the unnecessary cruelty to animals in our society,” Tom said.
 
Past recipients of this award include Alicia Silverstone, James Cromwell, Linda Blair, Charlotte Ross, Casey Kasem, Wendi Malick, Bill Maher and Dennis Kucinich.
 
Nearly a thousand animal rights activists from throughout the U.S. and eight other countries rallied in at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel in Los Angeles, CA on July 19-23 to review progress and to map national strategy for the coming year. Highlights included special sessions to defeat the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act and reduce global warming, as well as eyewitness accounts of confrontational campaigns to save seals and whales.

The annual Animal Rights 2007 National Conference featured more than 100 speakers representing 60 organizations from every sector of the animal protection movement. The Headliners included Elizabeth Kucinich, John Feldmann of the band Goldfinger, Tom Scholz of the rock band BOSTON, Paul Watson who confronted Japanese whalers, and Marianne Thieme elected to the Dutch parliament on an animal rights platform

Kim and Tom Scholz in Florida Keys. Photo credit: Bob Summers