How Cancerbeads began - June Barrett's story:
While visiting her daughter in Florida in December 2005, my friend Kathryn MacKenzie purchased a beaded cancer bracelet for me. At the time, I was knitting shrugs (combination of sweater/shawl), and giving them to cancer patients taking chemotherapy on the 11th floor of the V.G. Hospital in Halifax. As each shrug took 12 hours to make, I felt I was not helping enough people.
While I was putting on my bracelet one morning in February 2007, (it’s the first thing I put on in the morning, and the last thing I take off at night) I thought about making them, (as long as I could get the supplies), selling them, and donating all the profit to Cancer Research. I did some research online to track down the colours associated with the different types of cancer, and my project had begun.
The first week in March 2007, I made a few, and sold them to family and friends. Then my youngest daughter, Sarah, decided to put it on her Facebook page, along with a picture. Within 20 minutes, she had an order, and a couple of hours later, she had 4 more. Three days later, her orders reached 32. She had also started a cancer bracelet group, and within 4 days, had 243 members. (Not all would buy bracelets, but would pass the word around).
Spreading the word
Within a short period of time, Sarah, as well as my oldest daughter, Angela were selling bracelets on a fairly regular basis. In addition to my mom Anne (who lives in Scotland), her neighbour, and best friend, Jean Taylor, and my cousin Julie in New Zealand, friends also came on board to help with sales. Janice Weatherby at our doctor’s office has been responsible for a couple of hundred. Another friend, Judy Dewolfe has sold quite a few at the paper (Chronicle Herald) where she works, as has Joy from our dentist’s office. Mary Higgins, Jason Heffler (who lost his 10 ½ month daughter in June 2007 to brain cancer), and Carole Nantel of Montreal have also added to the total, as have Kathy Smith and Cecily Smith of Connecticut.
Later in the summer of 2007, the project was expanded to include anklets. By the middle of October, we were able to donate $4,000.00 to Cancer Research My daughter Angela works in the Campus and Recreation Department of Dalhousie University in Halifax, and was asked if I would be interested in selling the bracelets at the annual Dalplex Christmas Craft Show the third weekend in November. Over the three day period, with help from my husband Paul, some shifts from my daughters, and Angela’s boyfriend Alex, we sold 3 anklets and 164 bracelets.
By the first week of December 2007, we had an additional $2,000.00 for research, bringing the total contribution to $6,000.00.
We still had more profit to donate, which was passed along after Christmas sales. As of December 4, 2007, we sold 8 anklets and 1,208 bracelets.
The Bracelets
The bracelets are usually multi-coloured, with each colour representing a different type of cancer. They can also be ordered in a single colour, or any colour combination, depending on what type, or types of cancer have affected someone’s family, as it makes the bracelet more personal to them. In the spring of 2008, I added two types of necklaces, and two types of earrings to the collection, followed by a pin in early November. The beaded necklaces, earrings, and pins are also available in any colour, or colour combination.
We were also invited back to the Dalplex Christmas Craft show in November, and although we didn’t sell as many as the year before, we did fairly well, again with help from my husband Paul, daughter Angela, and her husband Alex, as well as Alex’s step-mother Wilda, who has also sold quite a few herself. It was also a banner year for our general sales.
By the end of 2008, we had sold 2,652 bracelets, 38 anklets, 5 charms, 8 pairs of earrings, 49 necklaces, and 1 pin, and brought our total donation to Cancer Research to $18,000.00.
In June of 2009, I participated again in the annual Relay For Life, and had my hair cut off to donate for cancer wigs. As we stayed all night, we were able to set up a table, and sold 42 bracelets, 3 anklets, 2 necklaces, 1 pair of earrings, and 1 pin.
By the end of June 2009, our total bracelet sales were 2,956, and our donation reached $20,000.00 in total so far.
In addition to being sold and sent across Canada and the United States, they have also been sent to Scotland, England, Ireland, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong. At one point, our membership on Facebook had hit the 1,000 mark. We are looking forward to selling many more, and raising even more for research, putting them closer to finding a cure, and Together, we can all make “cancer history”.
 |
Click Here to read more about our jewellery and how to order. |
|
Back to top |
