2026 Jelly Bean Jump Up Calendars Are Here!
A fundraiser for SafeHouse Center in memory of a magical pup
Last year I wrote about artist George Rodrigue’s deep grief following the loss of his beloved pup, Tiffany, who he came to call Blue Dog. My version of Blue Dog was named Jelly Bean. She was an amazing tri-colored Corgi who I had the honor of spending 17 great years with. Just as Blue Dog did for George Rodrigue, Jelly Bean brought me so much joy, caring companionship, and comfort over the years. She helped me through any number of hard times and she showed me what resilience could be like as she worked through her own medical challenges over the years. Over the years she taught me about unconditional love and how to live life happily and fully every day. For most of her life, Jelly Bean ran with me each afternoon. Even now, many years later, I can’t help but smile as I think about her positive, generous-of-spirit presence.
The grief that followed Jelly Bean’s death on May 27, 2015, was very difficult for me to deal with. (Email me if you’d like to see the obituary I wrote for her.) Anyone who has lost a dog they loved like that will likely know the feeling. In an effort to make something positive out of the pain of her passing, we decided to start a fundraiser in her memory. At the suggestion of Marsha Ricevuto, who helped care for Jelly Bean over the years, we named it “The Jelly Bean Jump Up.” We decided that we would use the Jump Up to raise money for SafeHouse Center, the local shelter for victims of domestic abuse here in Washtenaw County, for a few reasons. Providing safe spaces for victims of domestic abuse is so critical in modern society, Tammie and I live very close to SafeHouse, and many members of the SafeHouse staff would see me and Jelly Bean out and about each afternoon as left for, or returned from, our run.
For many people trapped in violent home situations with no place to go, SafeHouse offers exactly what its name implies: a safe shelter that takes in those in need. With the current state of the country, with so much funding being cut from not-for-profit organizations that help those in need, and with tensions up nationwide in what writer Elif Shafak calls the “Age of Anxiety,” victims of domestic abuse are even more at risk than usual. Which means that supporting SafeHouse Center and other comparable causes has become even more important than ever.
Jelly Bean Jump Up’s main event has happened each February and March for 10 years now. Four or five years ago, we added an “early entrée”: a special calendar to raise additional money for SafeHouse. A dozen or so dogs and cats from the area are featured, and, thanks to the generosity of Dollar Bill Printing, which kindly donates the printing work, the entire $20 donation each calendar brings in goes to SafeHouse. Photography in the calendar is by our own Melaina Bukowski and Jason Ujvari, and the photos they took are especially beautiful this year! I can’t help but mention that a super-cute photo of one of my household’s pups, Sol, is the February picture, and that a shot of Tammie with Sol and two others from our crew—Eva and Frankie Lee—appears on the back cover. Little Mazarn’s Lindsey Verrill loves dogs deeply, too—so I think, in the spirit of generosity, I’m gonna buy a Jelly Bean Jump Up calendar and send it to her down in Austin!
Bottom line: Buy a calendar or two, support SafeHouse Center, help victims of domestic violence in our community, and put your metaphorical hand on the memory of Jelly Bean’s head—or that of a pup from your past who you miss as deeply. When you have that hopeful thought, also imagine the beautiful, happy smile that amazing little Corgi brought to my life and the lives of many others for so many years.
Collect your calendar
P.S. The Jelly Bean Jump Up calendars are available for sale at the Coffee Company, Deli, and Roadhouse. If you live out of town and want to buy some calendars to be shipped, email Melaina Bukowski at [email protected] and she’ll get you set up!
