For Jackki Ruiz, giving back is all about connection. Ruiz has been sharing singing telegrams with the community for the past few weeks, performing for any occasion from holidays to birthdays and everything in between.
“The look on some of these people’s faces is sheer terror, but they usually end in a laugh,” said the 28-year-old.
Ruiz, a seasoned performer since childhood, has lived in Gunnison on and off for the past decade.
“I always find myself here, and this is where I wanted to raise my son,” she said.
Her mom moved her to the valley when she was a teenager, and she now lives here as a caretaker for her brother and son, who lost his daycare with the closing of Little Adventures.
The singing telegram service is $45 and includes the performance, in full costume, with an instrument of her choice, a balloon and a treat. Ruiz is even available for same-day delivery, but notes that planning in advance can help to make the performance more personal and even funnier.
“The more small details that they can give me about the recipient will make the song more fun and bring more laughs,” she said. “It’s a collaboration.”
Ruiz says she is open to any song or genre. Her last few performances include “So Long, Fair Well” from the Sound of Music and Garth Brooks’ “I Got Friends in Low Places.”
Ruiz said that it’s not just about fun.
“In doing all of this, I did it with my son in mind,” she said. “I really want him to see that joy and art and community is not just a hobby, it can be real work and it can also be a way of taking care of other people.”
On her initial move to Gunnison, Ruiz’s mom had to drag her out of Salt Lake City, but she quickly fell in love with the valley and the people in it.
“This started as a leap of faith, and I didn’t map out every step,” she said. “What I do know is that I want it to stay rooted here while growing in a way that feels sustainable.”
Ruiz said she is here to stay and is ready to become a staple of community joy.
“I think this is the first time that I’ve actually completely loved a position I’ve put myself in,” she said. “And I was really scared at first to do it, but mainly I wanted to find a way that I could give back to my community and be myself while doing it. And why not bring a couple laughs?”
Ruiz performs at open mics with her singer-songwriter group Breadline. She gives the group credit for pushing her out of her comfort zone and into her passion project.
“Breadline did push me into it. I did a few more live performances with them, [after] and falling on hard times and losing my day job,” she said. “I had a lot of support from community members and friends that thought the idea was funny and I thought why not go for it?”
Ruiz’s small business, That’s Poppy Cox, is a culmination of all her creative endeavors. She paints window murals around town and does face painting for kids’ parties.
“[The telegrams] fall under that umbrella of silly things that I can add to my resume, I’m definitely a jack of all trades, master of none.”
If you want to send a singing telegram to a loved one, or add a fun performance to make an occasion even more special, contact Ruiz at 385-315-7487.
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