Beads of Courage

Beads of Courage is a program that helps children with serious illness. It offers a coping mechanism by letting each child commemorate milestones in their treatment with special beads that are strung on a cord. Different colour beads signify different treatments or surgeries. Every time a milestone is passed the child receives a bead to add to their string, allowing them to see how far they have come on their journey of recovery. It seems as if this idea started in Canada, but Beads of Courage (click to visit their site) is based in the US and at present doesn't seem to have any Canadian hospitals on board, which is a bit of a shame.

Beadmakers from all over donate beads to this cause, that are then distributed to participating hospitals. There are special beads of significance, when a child completes his or her treatment they are given a purple heart. Butterflies are also special as they can be given to grieving parents as part of the End of Life program.

If you have spare beads that you feel able to donate I encourage you to visit one of the glass forums and look for current Beads of Courage collections, or visit the Beads of Courage site for more information. You may also download their .pdf that explains the types of beads they are looking for.