ASHTON'S ARK
Make a Donation in Ashton
Frieder's name by sending a donation to the Shelter at
Just Animals Shelter
P.O.Box 298
Seneca, IL 61360
or
through PayPal
The following is from The Times of 5 February 2008 in Sections B1 & B6
Kathy Mufich, an artist from Sheridan, works on a second mural in
memory of Ashton Frieders, a Serena High School graduate killed in a car
accident
last year. The murals will be used to encourage the community to make donations
to Just Animals shelter in Seneca in Ashton's memory. Photo: Tom Sistak
Ashton's Ark
Family launches fundraising campaign
in memory of their daughter
Saying no to an abandoned puppy is tough, but saying no to a puppy and a
daughter who passionately
loves animals
is pretty much impossible.
That's why Chuck and Lori Frieders, of rural Marseilles, had a steady stream of
furry visitors to their
farm when
their daughter Ashton began volunteering at Just Animals shelter in Seneca and
working at Fox
Valley
Veterinary Hospital in Ottawa.
"Many of the foster animals came to our house," said Chuck, joking that at times
he was buying 50-
pound bags of
cat food weekly to feed their guests.
Chuck and Lori recalled one specific instance around Christmas 2006 when Ashton
brought home
a black pit
bull puppy who had been found abandoned in the freezing rain. Ashton was already
on her way
home with him
when she called to ask her parents' permission. How could they refuse?
"I was also involved," Lori recalled, noting the time spent bottle-feeding the
puppy. "She had a soft
spot for
animals and (the puppy) did get placed."
Ashton was killed in a car accident in January last year when she was 19 years
old, and as the one-
year
anniversary of her death approached, her parents wanted to do something special
to memorialize her.
The idea of
attaching that to her love for animals immediately came to mind.
Ashton's attachment to animals was born during her childhood on the farm, often
tagging along with
Chuck as he
worked with the livestock. The name of her first cat, Noper, was her first word.
"We would bundle her up and she would want to go outside and see what was going on," said Lori.
"She was always going out with me," recalled Chuck. "Whether it was cattle
sales, auctions or sitting
on my lap in
the skid loader or tractor."
Ashton joined her local 4-H Club and Serena High School's FFA, where she
regularly raised animals
for projects.
During her sophomore year, she had at least 60 rabbits on the farm for FFA.
Later she sold
them -- for a
profit -- to her brother, Coleton.
"She always had a passion for animals," said Lori, noting Ashton was taking
classes at Joliet Junior
College to
become a veterinarian technician. "She started out wanting to be a vet, but I
think the eight years
of school
scared her ...
"She loved working at the vet's. She just enjoyed learning about animals and
helping them. I imagine if
she had
gotten married, she would have had animals all over the place."
The family has launched a fundraising campaign called Ashton's Ark to benefit
Just Animals. But getting
the word out
seemed to be the biggest challenge. The family enlisted the help of artist Kathy
Mufich, of Sheridan,
to paint two
murals that could be displayed locally asking for donations in Ashton's name and
that could serve as
drop-off
locations for animal-related items the shelter can use.
Mufich, whose family members are friends with the Frieders family, jumped at the
chance to create the
murals, which
include photos of Ashton feeding a calf as a preschooler, playing with her dog
Diesel and showing
a pony for
4-H.
When Mufich's daughter and her friends saw the murals, they were excited and wanted to help.
"Her friends really liked it," Mufich said. "It made them feel that part of her was still here."
One of the murals will be on display at Serena High School at the main entrance.
The other will be at
Fox Valley
Veterinary Hospital. The Frieders hope to eventually move these displays to
other locations in
the community
to get as many people involved as possible. Anyone wanting to help can also go
online to
www.justanimals.org and click on the Ashton's Ark logo.
All of the excitement over the project has helped ease some of the pain of the
anniversary of Ashton's death,
particularly
when Chuck and Lori consider how their daughter would have felt about their
efforts.
"This is getting me through this hard time," said Lori. "This is something she would have been excited about."
"It's something," said Chuck, "she would have come up with herself."
Written by Melissa Garzanelli
melissa@mywebtimes.com
815-431-4049