A Birthday Wish That Changed Thousands of Lives
When Roman McConn was just four years old, a simple trip to PetSmart with his mother became the spark for a lifelong mission. The aisles were lined with crates filled with dogs waiting to be adopted from a local shelter.
“Why are there so many dogs in cages, Mommy?” Roman asked, his small voice full of concern.
His mother, Jennifer McConn, explained gently: “Honey, those dogs are looking for families to adopt them because they don’t have homes.”
Roman’s heart sank. Why doesn’t every dog have a home? he wondered.
That question stayed with him, and inspired an extraordinary act of kindness. For his fifth birthday, Roman asked his friends and family not for gifts, but for donations to help the dogs. His compassion quickly turned into a calling.
From One Boy’s Dream to a Lifesaving Mission
In 2015, while living in San Angelo, Texas, the McConn family began photographing and filming shelter dogs, posting their stories online to help them find homes. The results were immediate, dogs that had been overlooked for months were suddenly being adopted.
Encouraged by their success, Jennifer told Roman, “We have to keep this up. Let’s make it official.”
And so, Project Freedom Ride was born, a nonprofit dedicated to rescuing shelter dogs and transporting them to places where they’d have a better chance at adoption.
A Journey Across States — and Thousands of Miles
When the family later relocated to Washington state, Roman couldn’t forget about the dogs left behind in Texas. The McConns partnered with local rescuers to raise funds for transporting dogs north, where euthanasia rates were far lower and shelters had more space.
Their first transport carried 31 dogs in a horse trailer bound for the Pacific Northwest. News of the mission spread quickly, and donations began to pour in, allowing Project Freedom Ride to grow faster than they ever imagined.
Later, after moving again to Evans, Georgia, Roman’s father Jeff McConn, a retired Navy veteran, decided to take the mission on the road himself.
“What if we get a custom van, and I can drive dogs from Georgia to states with lower kill rates?” he proposed.
Soon, Jeff and a close friend were making monthly rescue drives, covering thousands of miles across the country — from Washington and Idaho to Michigan, New York, and Wisconsin. Each trip delivered hope and new beginnings for 15 to 20 dogs at a time.
Saving Over 5,000 Lives and Counting
To date, Project Freedom Ride has rescued more than 5,000 dogs, connecting them with loving homes and giving them a second chance at life.
Families across the U.S. have opened their hearts to adopt from the program. Kaitlin Carlisle, from Olympia, Washington, shared:
“We’ve adopted three dogs from Project Freedom Ride, Charlie, Louie, and Megalodon. Roman is amazing! This organization brings so much joy and completes our family.”
A Young Hero with a Big Heart
For Roman, helping dogs isn’t just a project, it’s a purpose.
“It’s a good feeling”, he says. “You gave that dog a second chance and helped them out of the hardest part of their life. You helped them get where they were meant to be.”
His parents couldn’t be prouder. “Roman has always advocated for the underdog”, says Jennifer. “We’ll do everything we can for these dogs.”
From a single birthday wish to a nationwide rescue mission, Roman McConn’s story proves that no one is too young to make a difference, and that compassion truly saves lives.
