Una Pervis is a stay-at-home mom and photographer who lives in Carmel. Along with half the country it seems, Pervis and her family got a new puppy during Covid. And she found herself taking a ton of photos of this dog.

"We had this new puppy. Super cute. And we have an older dog who is quite geriatric but super photogenic, so I thought 'Oh, wouldn't it be fun if we put a calendar of these dogs together.' So I talked to my kids, because they were home with me as well, about doing this project with me. We know people are struggling right now, between not having a job and having to be home. What a great way to potentially raise some money for someone in the community."

Carmel Dog Calendar with permission from Up Lifted Photography
Carmel Dog Calendar with permission from Up Lifted Photography
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So Pervis reached out to Carmel's Town Manager, Kevin Howell, and got some other members of the community involved.

"The project was to take photos of dogs who are licensed here in Carmel and owned by people in the community."

Pervis said with those pictures, she and her kids created a calendar of dogs from the Carmel community. The proceeds from the sale of this calendar will go directly to help a family from town.

Carmel Dog Calendar with permission from Up Lifted Photography
Carmel Dog Calendar with permission from Up Lifted Photography
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"Everybody needs a calendar at the beginning of the year, and since dog licensing here in Carmel starts Nov. 1st, we had from Nov. 1st to just before Christmas to raise some money for a family in need."

Carmel Dog Calendar with permission from Up Lifted Photography
Carmel Dog Calendar with permission from Up Lifted Photography
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"The town manager thought we should sell them for $20 each, and we said we'd give it a go, and we've sold 40 of them already!  They can pick them up at the Village Market and the Carmel Town Office. Devon's Kitchen here in Carmel has some available, as well."

Pervis says all the money collected is going to be used to help one (or possibly even a couple) of local families, buy food or gifts for the holidays. If more money comes in after the holidays, she hopes to be able to fill a family's oil tank in January, and she's working with the Carmel Town Office to determine which families to help.

Pervis says she'd love to make this a yearly project and hopes that folks in Carmel, who want to have their dogs featured, will reach out so she gets started putting next year's calendar together as soon as possible.

"I want to take the pictures seasonally."

Pervis says if she runs out of this year's supply, she can easily order more, as she's using a local company to do the printing.

If you're interested in helping with Carmel's Best Freinds Calendar for 2023, you can reach out to pervis via her Facebook Page, Up Lifted Photography Facebook Page.

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