HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Cumberland County woman will receive the Humane Society of the United States Advocacy Partner of the Year Award at a ceremony Monday in the rotunda of the state capitol building, the HSUS said in a press release.
Essie Petrovich, of Hampden Township, won the award for creating a new, state-approved "Spay/Neuter Saves Lives" Pennsylvania license plate.
She will receive the award at 12:30 p.m., HSUS said. State Sen. Greg Rothman and Rep. Sheryl Delozier are scheduled to attend the ceremony on the Capitol steps, along with representatives from HSUS and other animal organizations and advocates.
Kristen Tullo, the state director of the society, will present the award to Petrovich.
All will recognize Petrovich for her most recent animal welfare efforts with the new plate, which is just one of many projects she has spearheaded over the last several decades to encourage compassion and support for animals in need of help.
The eye-catching license plate that Petrovich designed and commandeered through the approval process with PennDOT, serves a two-fold purpose, according to HSUS. It will spread the message statewide about the importance of spaying/neutering cats and dogs to control the pet population and stop the proliferation of so many unwanted shelter animals, and will raise critical funds for spay/neuter in the commonwealth.
Proceeds from the sale of each plate will be used solely to finance surgeries for the pets of those who cannot afford to pay themselves.
The plates went on sale in December through SNAP, the Spay Neuter Assistance Program, which Petrovich was instrumental in founding in 1981. The goal is to have as many vehicles as possible across the state sporting one of these special plates with its life-saving spay/neuter message. The plates cost $68 each and are available at www.snapofpa.org, HSUS said.
SNAP is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization dedicated to offering safe, affordable spay/neuter alternatives for dogs and cats in the hopes of bringing an end to the needless suffering they endure as a result of overpopulation and neglect. Since its founding, SNAP has been responsible for the spaying/neutering of 117,000 cats and dogs.
Each year in Pennsylvania, animal shelters bring in more dogs and cats than they have adopters for and sadly, have to euthanize far too many helpless animals.
“The euthanasia rate of cats and dogs in shelters has been creeping up since spay/neuter services were put on hold during the COVID-19 crisis,” Petrovich said. “I am hoping this license plate will help raise enough funds to stem the tide of this trend.”
On Humane Lobby Day April 29, HSUS and the Animal Legal Defense Fund, plus fellow advocates, will speak with state legislators about the importance of animal protection legislation. The activities run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. all day at the Capitol and include meetings with legislators, a presentation on the cruelty of cat declawing, the awards ceremony, and a lunch sponsored by the HSUS Stop Puppy Mills Campaign.
