Photo Courtesy: John Herzog
Platform Statement:
Princesses for Pets – Promoting Animal Advocacy
In 2017 over 50,000 cats and dogs entered shelters in Virginia. Of these, more than 18,000 were euthanized. Many compassionate people and programs around the world are working to protect animals from abuse, neglect and cruelty. I am one of those advocates.
Eleven years ago I started “Princesses for Pets” from my love of animals. Through my program, I organize groups to collect and distribute pet care items to the SPCA, other rescue organizations, and pet foster homes throughout Virginia. Participants have included contestants from the Miss America Organization and other pageant titleholders, my peers and friends from school, family members and even a few “Princes” too! Food, beds, blankets, towels, and toys are all items that are needed to make animals a little bit happier while they’re waiting for a new home. As the founder of “Princesses for Pets” I have annually served as the captain of my own team for the Richmond SPCA Dog Jog for eleven years. During that time, my team has collected donations valued at over $3,500 to benefit homeless animals. Additionally, I was named a Junior Board Member of the Winchester SPCA in 2012 and have been a volunteer for a local Meals on Wheels Pet Food Drive. The donations collected were given to the pets of homebound people receiving Meals on Wheels services. I am proud to have been a part of a team that collectively donated over 6,300 pounds of pet food!
Raising awareness and getting the word out about the needs of shelters and animals is vital to the promotion of my platform. I was interviewed twice on Virginia’s only live morning news program, Virginia This Morning, which enabled me to share my message with thousands of people. I was also selected as the 2011 fourpoints Magazine Precious Princess national contest winner. This magazine was dedicated to the Miss America program, its contestants and volunteers and the feature article of the summer edition was about my platform and interests. I was so excited to use the opportunity to talk about “Princesses for Pets” and why helping homeless animals is extremely important. It was such an honor to be chosen to represent young girls from across the country and share my message on a national level. I know that the article brought awareness and inspired many more people all over America to support their own SPCAs and no-kill shelters. Finally, I continue to reach out across the globe via the Princesses for Pets Facebook page, my personal Instagram, and Twitter on the World Wide Web to spread my message to help our furry friends.