Jean Bomonti Founders Society

Jean Bomonti co-founded Friends of Strays after volunteering at a local shelter and seeing how many stray cats were brought in, only to have them sit in overcrowded cages or be euthanized. She said she simply could not accept the status quo and felt the need to do something. You can watch Jean tell her story in the video above.

With the help of some of her friends, she started Friends of Strays in 1978. It was the first no kill shelter in St. Petersburg. She worked tirelessly over the next 30 years to keep the organization going. Now, more than 40 years later, Friends of Strays is stronger than ever and has expanded to include dogs in its mission of helping stray and homeless pets, and helping families keep their pets out of shelters.

The Jean Bomonti Founders Society was established to recognize individuals who so value the efforts of Friends of Strays doing everything possible to help homeless and at-risk pets survive and thrive that they’ve made a legacy gift to help ensure the organization’s future.

Benefits of membership in the Founders Society include:

  • Enrollment of your companion animals in our Pet Guardianship program, which helps ensure that your pets are looked after for the rest of their lives.
  • An invitation to our Founders Society luncheon, an annual gathering hosted by our Friends of Strays leadership team.
  • A subscription to The Scoop newsletter, keeping you informed of the latest developments at the shelter and some heartwarming stories about the pets you helped save.
  • Acknowledgement of your name and contributions in our shelter and newsletter.

We hope you’ll become a member of the Jean Bomonti Founders Society by naming Friends of Strays as a beneficiary of your will, trust, retirement account or life insurance policy. For more information, please contact Dara Eckart at 727-522-6566 ext. 106 or [email protected].

Have you already named Friends of Strays as a beneficiary of your estate plan? Click here to download our Friends of Strays Estate Planning Notification form.