Welcome to Friends Of Strays!

Friends Of Strays, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit no-kill animal shelter located in Princeton, Illinois. Founded in 1994, by Bonnie Doty and a small group of dedicated volunteers, Friends of Strays Animal Shelter provides rescue, rehabilitation, shelter and adoption services for more than a thousand abandoned, neglected or abused animals annually, primarily dogs and cats. Friends of Strays also works with local veterinarians and animal control to curb the unnecessary killing of adoptable pets by taking those scheduled to be euthanized and caring for them until a new home can be found.

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Order Your FOS 2010 Calendar Today!

2010 CalendarNew for 2010, "CD Jewel Case Calendars" filled with beautiful photos of FOS pets. Perfect gifts for teachers, youth leaders, coworkers, holiday grab bags, friends and family. Easy to wrap, useful and fun to give – and get! Order yours today by emailing us, or by calling the shelter at 815-872-7387.

CLOSEOUT: Now only $5.00 each!

We have sold out of the calendars. Many thanks to everyone who purchased one for your support!

John Deere Golf Tournament – Birdies for Charity – for FOS!

If you love golf or if you love pets or if you support animal rescue work, then the John Deere PGA Classic, beginning July 5th, in East Moline, should be penciled in your calendar! As part of this multi-million dollar event, John Deere and other business sponsors, are financially supporting the ―Birdies for Charity‖ program. This year, Friends of Strays is a registered John Deere charity; with your help, the shelter can receive a cash award, and you can have a chance to win one of more than a hundred prizes, -- the top prize, a NEW CAR!

In a few weeks, Friends of Strays will send out Birdies for Charity Pledge cards. You'll have an opportunity to make a one-time donation to Friends of Strays, or, you can pledge pennies (or more!) for birdies. For every birdie in this year's John Deere Golf Tournament, you pledge would be the total number of those birdies multiplied by the penny amout you pledge. Last year, 1,914 birdies were scored in the Tournament. If you had pledged one penny for each of those birdies for FOS, your total pledge would be $19.14; two cents per birdie scored -- $38.28, and so on.

When you pledge -- either as a single donation, or as a pledge amount based on birdies -- you'll also be asked to make your best guess on the number of birdies that you think will be scored in the 2010 Tournment, July 5th through 11th, 2010. First prize for the correct number of birdies scored is a new car! Other prizes include a John Deere riding mower and more than 100 other wonderful prizes.

Absolutely 100 percent of all donations pledged to FOS will be given to FOS; John Deere assumes all promotional and administrative costs. Every dollar donated goes to the designated charity. In 2009, the Tournament raised more than $4.63 million dollars for 500 local and regional charities.

The birdie number for Friends of Strays is 1689. Watch for your pledge cards.

For complete rules, and information on the Tournament, go to: http://www.birdiesforcharity.com While you're visiting the site, look at the Birdie Tournament history and decide on your best guess for the number of Birdies in this year's Tournament.

The John Deere Birdies for Charity organization offers a special bonus donation for non-profits who participate every year; this bonus is based on the dollar amount of pledges received in the previous Birdies for Charity year. Let's make our first year a foundation to build on. If you do not receive you pledge card by mid-May, please email or call the Shelter at (815) 872-7387.

Working together, we can really make pennies count!



Friday Nights at Casino Bingo

Date: 
Friday, July 30, 2010 - 4:00pm

Join us for Casino Bingo -- a great close-to-home night out. Come early -- The Early Bird game pays $150! We'll have Dual Dab at a 50/50 payout, the Monster $200 Raffle payout, and regular Bingo -- both paper and computer -- that pays $100. Join the excitement with Raffle tabs -- for payouts up to $500.

Mark your calendar for the Casino Bingo weekly specials!

Friday, July 30 -- Pick Howard’s Pocket to WIN EXTRA PRIZES!

Invite your friends and neighbors. It's all great fun...and it all supports the important work of Friends of Strays. See you Friday!

Doors open at 4:00 p.m., Bingo starts at 6:30 p.m.

Located at 3485 Industrial Drive, Peru, Illinois.

Mission Statement

To prevent neglect, abuse, cruelty, and exploitation of animals and to assure that their interests and well being are protected by an aware and caring society. To humanely care for these animals until good, caring homes can be found.

Friends Of Strays, Inc.
June 10, 1994



Please check back often. We'll be adding more photos and stories of adoptable FOS pets, more videos of FOS dogs in action, a photo gallery of adopted FOS pets, our online store with new and exclusive merchandise, more archival informational newsletters and other features that will keep you connected to the important rescue and rehabilitation work at Friends of Strays.