Celebrate We Will (Cause Life Is Short But Sweet)
Jeanna with board member Cynthia Karengin celebrating to the sounds of So Uncivilized
Grief is lonely. When you lose someone close to you, they leave pieces of you that only they could keep company or understand or guard. The overwhelming feeling of loss is something nobody likes to talk about for fear of being a downer or making others uncomfortable. It’s easy to feel like you’re the only one having the experience, when in reality, everyone experiences grief at some point (or likely many points) in their life.
Over the last year, Grief has manifested for me from a feeling into a person, a caricature. I imagine him as a tall, dark, quiet, lumbering being. At times he wraps his whole body around me and holds me down. At other times, he patiently waits on the sidelines for me to finish whatever it is I’m doing. Sometimes I think he’s off to the side, and all of the sudden I realize he’s crept right up next to me. For the last year, whether near or far, he’s always around.
Last week, on the one year anniversary of Jeannessa’s murder, I expected Grief to force me to carry him around, heavy on my shoulders, but he very patiently kept his distance. Honestly, I didn’t even see him that night. Perhaps because we danced pretty closely the weekend prior, he was content to just spend the evening hanging out in the parking lot while I enjoyed the most successful inaugural event Jeannessa’s Friends could have hoped for.
The event began with a very moving candlelight vigil. People started to gather just before 6:00pm, including a young woman and man setting up a pretty fancy video camera, who turned out to be from NBC Bay Area/Telemundo. Volunteers in purple aprons passed out tea light candles and helped people sign in. The technical difficulties we experienced with our microphones were insignificant compared to the inspiring words brought by our speakers: San Jose Councilmember Pamela Campos of District 2 (where Jeannessa lived), Erica Wiley of the YWCA giving voice to the need for practical support for domestic violence survivors, particularly those with pets, and Laura Birdsall from Pets in Need addressing the crisis shelters are facing with so many animals in need of care. We announced our first grant recipient, SNAP: The Spay Neuter Action Project to help with the rescue of 12 Shepherd/Rottweiler puppies, and my dear friend Caren Hespeler, who fostered three of these puppies, shared an update. The vigil wrapped up in the most appropriate way for my spunky, outspoken Jeannessa: everyone making a lot of noise! Replay the Vigil Livestream here.
Directly afterwards, I was interviewed by Nathalie Vera of NBC Bay Area/Telemundo with the piece airing that night. Such a win to be able to promote Jeannessa’s Friends to a wider audience. See it here (y aqui en espanol).
Our afterparty was a ton of fun with a packed house! Julia and Nicole, on behalf of the Brit Almaden, welcomed us with open arms and made sure everyone was taken care of all evening. Kyra Moore (Jeannessa’s childhood friend and “concert buddy”) opened with a beautiful acoustic set, followed by So Uncivilized with a high energy hard rock set and finally the Strays carrying on the Grateful Dead legacy. I was fortunate to get to sing Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams,” Jeannessa’s favorite, with So Uncivilized and “Fire on the Mountain” with the Strays. Dancing and listening to great music has always been and will always bring joy and comfort, and helping create it is absolutely next level! Watch the sets: The Strays / So Uncivilized / Kyra Moore
In addition to a fun, joyful event that successfully met our main goal of reclaiming the date of September 16, we had a number of other wins! We sold out of our first run of “Jeannessa’s 4-Legged Friends,” a coloring book featuring 44 pages of Jeannessa’s pets, fosters, and training clients (second printing is currently in the works– stay tuned!) Our event fundraising goal of $10,000 was reached! We got a heavenly sign that we are on the right path with “Sir Remphrey,” a sweet bully in need, finding his way to SNAP the night before. (Read his story here.) And perhaps most importantly, all of these wins gave me, and our entire team, the momentum to continue this important work in Jeannessa’s honor. To see how many people care and the amazing work we can do to support pets in our community gives meaning to her life that ended far too soon.
This event could not have happened without the support and hard work of many, many people. It was a massive team effort! Thank you to our sponsors: The Reynolds Family, Blue Pearl Pet Hospital, Lincoln Avenue Pet Clinic, Nordeast Creative, ShiftGen, Giammona’s Dog Park Crew Dog Treats, the McBain Family, and PetCo Meridian.
To Josiah Lakoduk- thank you for your creative vision that brought our event posters to life.
Deep gratitude to our speakers: San Jose Councilmember Pamela Campos, District 2, Erica Wiley of the YWCA, Laura Birdsall of Pets in Need, and Caren Hespeler representing S N A P The Spay Neuter Action Project.
We’re so grateful for the fun sparked by our talented musicians, Mark Perlson, Scott Cooper, Bill Gunn, Erica Waxer, Skippy Sherred, and Rob Parker of The Strays; Martin Schmidt, Steve Bates, Nick Olivari, Larry Wilson, and Mike Reynolds of So Uncivilized, and Kyra Moore. And a huge thank you to Skippy and Lisa— the music could not have happened without your expert sound wizardry.
To The Brit Almaden, especially Julia and Nicole— thank you for being so profoundly hospitable and thinking of all the details to make the night a wonderful success!
And finally, to all of our board members and volunteers— we deeply value your time in helping us get the word out and making sure the event ran as smoothly as possible. Special shout-outs to Sara Robertson, Kyra Moore, Shelly Johnson, Melinda Gunnarsson, Ned Wasserman, and Mike and Jennifer Reynolds for extra hours put into making this event happen. Jeannessa’s Friends could not exist without your hard work!
It’s profoundly meaningful when a community comes together in the face of tragedy to connect and rebuild. Thank you to everyone for coming out and making this possible in Jeannessa’s memory! And for helping me to keep my friend Grief occupied for this one special night so we could celebrate ‘cause life is short and sweet.
We’re taking a moment before we jump into our next huge event, but in the meantime, find us at several events around town put on by other organizations. Details on our Events page. Stop by and say “hi”!
