Just three short months ago the community was introduced to Harvey the French bulldog that had gone missing and was later found dead.
Since this sad turn of events his ‘pawrents’, Dimitri and Roxy Athanasopoulos started Harvey’s Beacon of Light Foundation, a non-profit company they say is to honour their angel boy with the strong quest to make sure to keep furry family members safe. The foundation, as Roxy described, is committed to supporting and improving the lost, found and stolen animal response in South Africa. “By putting more efficient systems and processes in place, we are hoping to improve the recovery rate of animals that disappear daily from homes.”
They are passionate and committed to empowering communities with the knowledge, resources and networks to search for lost or stolen pets in the most effective way possible, while also educating people on animal welfare and giving them preventative tips and tools. Roxy said animal welfare shelters across South Africa are overcrowded with animals needing homes and assistance. “We need to rally together as a community to help all animals in need and be the voice for our furry friends that can’t speak for themselves.”
At the time Harvey was missing an immediate search effort was launched to find him. “During the time he was missing, South Africans from all walks of life came together in droves to help find him and it was simply unbelievable to witness and experience,” explained Roxy. Harvey was sadly found dead two weeks after he had gone missing. Roxy shared that through their own painful experience, they learned so much and recognised there is a huge need in South Africa for a place that animal ‘pawrents’ can turn to in their time of need.
For them it is important to educate our society more widely regarding the risks, and offer an integrated series of actions and responses in order to deal with lost and stolen pets. “We realise that we are living in extremely hard times and it is important to us to help support existing animal welfare organisations. We hope to bolster their operations by raising funds, doing food drives and running initiatives to support other priority items,” said Roxy. Although in the start-up stage of their organisation, they already have about 30 volunteers and they plan to work hard to build and improve the organisation’s offerings. It is important for them that no one else in the community feels as hopeless and experiences she sheer desperation they felt in the weeks Harvey was missing. “We are here to listen, to learn, and to help,” added Roxy.
This foundation’s biggest wish is that Harvey’s light lives on perpetually, acting as a beacon of light, love and hope for all animals. With the three characteristics, the foundation stands for being love, unity and hope. “During the time he was missing, the incredible love, unity and hope experienced between absolute strangers from all walks of life coming together for one united cause, was the most humbling and inspiring experience of our entire lives. It was a true testament to the bright and beautiful light that Harvey was,” concluded Roxy.
