According to ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), more than 1 million households are forced to surrender or rehome their pets each year. The reason behind many surrenders is financial constraints that prevent owners from caring for their pets.
In Kewanee, a pageant queen is running on a platform to ensure that in Kewanee, people will be able to keep their beloved family members.
Heather Frykman is the Elegant Ms. Illinois Imperial Nations and the problem of pet surrender was so important to her that she formed an organization and now promotes the issue through her pageant work.
Frykman is originally from Castleton, but has lived in Kewanee for the last 26 years. A registered nurse for the state, she spends her free time competing in and winning pageants and working to get her organization PBA=J fully funded.
PBA=J stands for People Bonding with Animals Equals Joy, and it’s a philosophy she wholeheartedly believes. Research has shown, she said, that owning pets is adjunct therapy for humans’ mental and physical well-being.
Frykman is especially cognizant of seniors and residents on fixed incomes and the difficulty they have in paying for extra expenses that go along with pet ownership. In addition, veterans on fixed incomes hold extra meaning to her, since she, herself, served in the National Guard and her husband is retired Army.
“A lot of time they have to give up things so they can care for their pets,” she said.
The mission of PBA=J is to assist seniors, veterans and disabled residents on fixed incomes in paying for those expenses that could end up accumulating and force them to surrender or rehome their pets. Once up and running, her organization would provide funds for things such as vet care for spaying and neutering, vaccinations and medicine.
A partnership has been formed between her organization and Friends of the Animals, another local non profit organization that promotes itself as a “booster club” for animals.
“Our causes align,” she said, adding that she would also like to get more involved with the local shelter.
In fact, Frykman has always been a lover of animals, and she owns dogs and a cat. Her dog Rudy acts as ambassador for PBA=J, while her dog Raider came from a shelter. In Castleton, Frykman grew up on a mini farm and had a pet calf appropriately named Steaks. But the area was sparsely populated, she said.
“There weren’t many kids where I lived. The animals were my friends,” she said.
Her most pressing goal for PBA=J is to raise funds so that she can start accepting applications for assistance from local residents. In keeping with her pageant background, she had planned a doggy pageant, but the heat caused her to cancel it, since Ambassador Rudy, in particular, doesn’t do well in the heat.
She is revamping the pageant to make it easier for people to register and intends to hold it sometime in the future, perhaps next year.
People have donated to her organization, and she has other plans to hold a pet photo contest over the winter months to help raise funds. People wishing to donate can reach out to her through her Facebook page or obtain more information by emailing her at pba.j@yahoo.com.
Frykman isn’t sure how soon she can begin accepting applications but plans to continue her community outreach and promote her belief that pets need to remain in homes.
“It’s something near and dear to my heart,” said Frykman. “Pets really do affect health and mental well-being.”
