Janice Overbeck’s love for animals began at a very young age, evident to everyone around her. One of her elementary school teachers remarked to Janice’s mother, Gail Seidell, “Over all of my years of teaching, Janice is one of my students that has a different kind of love for animals. And, after 30 years in the classroom, I have only seen this type of love for animals in one other student.”

In 2016, Janice transformed this lifelong devotion into action by founding JO Gives, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to animal advocacy, humane education, and large-scale spay/neuter initiatives. From 2016 to 2020, her real estate team hosted low-cost pet vaccination clinics each month in Georgia, raising over $100,000 to support homeless pets. The organization also launched Project Mexico in April 2019, which successfully spayed and neutered more than 2,130 dogs and cats by May 2021.

Beyond these efforts, JO Gives partners nationally with the Homeless Pets Foundation to educate children through after-school programs, called the Homeless Pet Clubs of America. These programs teach empathy, kindness, and responsible pet ownership while emphasizing the importance of spaying and neutering to combat overpopulation. By combining educational initiatives with hands-on experiences, Janice empowers young individuals to make a meaningful impact in their communities and promote a future where every pet has a loving home.

Janice believes deeply in the bond between humans and animals, saying, “Homo sapiens are the last of the human species, and I believe the pairing of dog and man as friends helped us survive over all other human species. We owe it to man’s best friend to help overcome the overpopulation issues that cause so much suffering. I have made it my mission to address this through children’s education, large spay and neuter events, and relocation efforts to give more dogs a chance at life.”

“If the kindest souls were rewarded with the longest lives, then dogs would outlive us all.” – Unknown

In addition to her animal welfare work, JO Gives, Inc. also supports ALS research following the loss of her father in 2015. She collaborates with Emory University’s ALS Center to fund research and raise awareness, with the organization contributing over $350,500 to date. JO Gives also extends its humanitarian reach by supporting clean water well projects to improve health and sustainability in underserved communities, reflecting Janice’s commitment to making a broad and lasting impact on both people and animals.