It's Saturday morning. Your best friend is at a family reunion, your brother is sick in bed, and you're about to go berserk from boredom. Sure, you could plant yourself in front of the TV all day and go comatose from cartoons or space out with Playstation but we have a better idea: Drop that remote and take a cue from Arathi, who uses her spare time to spare animal lives.

9 a.m.
Arathi combs through the classifieds in her local newspaper and calls people advertising companion animals as “free to a good home” to caution them about people who pretend to offer good homes but are really just collecting unwanted animals to sell to experimenters or use for dog fighting. Arathi politely points out that you must always check out home addresses, ID’s, and references, as well as tacking on an adoption fee to help weed out strangers with bad intentions.

10 a.m.
Arathi volunteers at the local animal shelter—her duties include petting and grooming the cats, walking the dogs, and cleaning out cages. Most workers at shelters are super-busy and overworked and welcome volunteers who can help care for and bring a little joy into the lives of lost and homeless animals.

1 p.m.
Arathi goes to the park to pick up trash. Countless birds and animals suffer—and many die—from injuries caused when they become stuck in discarded cans and six-pack rings. Always clip six-pack rings before throwing them away, and thoroughly rinse cans and cartons before recycling them to discourage animals from putting their heads inside in search of tiny bits of "din-din in a tin."

3:30 p.m.
On her way home, Arathi stops by the video store and notices that the documentary section offers videos from nonprofit groups. She talks to the manager and asks if he’d be willing to put some animal rights videos on the shelf for rent if she donated them. “Absolutely!” he says—and Arathi makes a note to drop off some PETA videos. Call PETA’s Literature Department for a free video brochure.

4:15 p.m.
Dark clouds are blanketing the sky so Arathi heads home and goes online. She stops by PETA’s Web site (PETA-online.org) and checks out the action alerts. She spends the next hour writing and sending e-mail messages about urgent animal rights issues.

5:30 p.m.
Arathi gets things cookin’ in the kitchen. Every Saturday night, she shows her parents how easy it is to eat right by making dinner! She wows her family with easy vegan recipes from PETA’s Web site and cookbooks, The Compassionate Cook and Cooking With PETA (to order, go to PETACatalog.com).

7:30 p.m.
Arathi, with a little help from Shaz, begins working on a banner that she’ll use during a demonstration at an upcoming circus performance.

11 p.m.
Arathi has put in a full day making a difference for animals—she’s ready for some well-deserved zzzz’s.