In February, the folks at Safe Hands Animal Rescue got into a car accident, their van crashing into a guard rail and cement pole on Interstate 90/39 near Edgerton, and the only thing on volunteer Lynne Bengtson's mind was what would happen to their precious cargo. Earlier that week, the Minneapolis-based no-kill volunteer shelter had sent representatives nearly 350 miles to assist a shelter in Iowa that was preparing to euthanize a load of puppies. After stopping to help another shelter in Wisconsin, Safe Hands volunteers found themselves in the middle of a blizzard with some 50 dogs on board. At first, Bengtson refused to get out of the car and leave the animals in the blizzard, afraid they would die in the winter chill. Even when rescue workers promised her that the dogs would be safe, Bengtson was reluctant, putting several of the puppies under her sweatshirt so she could ensure their survival. It is this kind of dedication to a cause that shows how grassroots activism can make a difference.