When Jacque Patrone graduated from St. Ed’s, she enrolled in Colorado State University’s veterinary medicine program. A family emergency back in Florida caused her to change plans. Sort of. “I eventually went to Rollins College and earned a degree in psychology,” she says, “but while helping my mother out with her business, my life took an amazing turn.”

Her mother, Maria Hart, owned a pet grooming business in Sebastian on U.S. 1 across from Walmart. “I took in a litter of kittens after their mother died and decided then to open an animal shelter.”

That was seven years ago. She named her non-profit business H.A.L.O. Rescue and decided to make it the most difficult of shelters, a no-kill facility. She went to shelters around the area to get animals – 1500 of them this year alone. The problem was not finding animals that needed a home, but finding homes for all the animals. “We take in primarily dogs and cats, but also just about any animal that needs a suitable home. We even help find homes for farm animals. But if we are unsuccessful, we keep the animal for life.”

That presents a logistical and financial problem. Patrone has 150 cats, 60-70 large dogs and 30-40 small breeds, all kept on the grounds of the building her mother still owns. “We have 50 runs as well as a field for animals to get out. They live inside the large building.”

Her facility is staffed and depends on volunteers to help, but even with all this, she has a waiting list of animals that need shelter. That brings up the second problem. “When we take an animal in, we do vaccinations, neutering, spaying, micro-chipping and other medical services as needed, working with local vets. No animal is adoptable until it is in good health. Obviously, those services and maintaining the shelter take a great deal of money, which is raised totally through private sources. We have also started re-offering grooming services, as well as pest control and a boutique to raise extra funds.”

A recent cash crunch resulted in unexpected help from the community, including the upcoming concert at Captain Hiram’s on May 29 featuring the 1980s pop group, The Fixx (“One thing leads to another”), where a portion of the proceeds will go towards helping Patrone to keep that H.A.L.O. shining bright.