Gratitude and Giving Back with Beading and Jewelry Making for Charitable Organizations

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At this time of year, it feels good to give thanks and give back to our community. Nonprofit organizations benefit from your dollars, time, and support. Just sharing their posts and information with your social media circles can make a big difference. Charitable organizations benefit from your passion and enthusiasm for beading and jewelry making along with your other creative gifts.

Above: Square Wire Heart Pendant by Lilian Chen

Charitable Beading and Jewelry Ideas

1. Donate your extra supplies. It always gives me an extra incentive to let go of extra beading supplies when I know they’re going to someone who will appreciate them. Retirement homes, art programs, and other organizations that teach jewelry making are usually very happy to receive your donations.
2. Sell your creations. If you already sell your jewelry, it would be easy to donate a portion of your sales this season to a special nonprofit.
3. Host a jewelry-making party. Teach guests to make a piece of jewelry and ask them to make cash donations for your favorite charity. Get tips for hosting your own jewelry making party in Throw a Jewelry Making Party.

Toolbox Initiative

Jewelers in West Africa create jewelry using only basic tools, often recycling discarded materials and making their own equipment as needed. The founders of the non-profit Toolbox Initiative, Tim McCreight and Matthieu Cheminee, have worked alongside West African artists. They developed this program for metalsmiths who are moved to extend a helping hand. You can donate new or used tools, silver scraps, or money, and Toolbox Initiative will pass it along to West African jewelry makers.

Believe in Beads

Beads of Courage started with a pediatric oncology nurse with a love for beads and children. Jean Gribbon created the nonprofit organization to improve the quality of life for children coping with serious illness, their families, and the clinicians who care for them through arts-in-medicine programs.

You can support Beads of Courage through many different programs and options that might catch your eye. Here are a few ideas:  

Support: Show your support with a Be a Helper kit. It contains two specially curated beads and an encouragement card. You carry the beads, then return one along with the encouragement card to be given to a child on a tough treatment day.

Shop: Hundreds of hospitals participate in the core Beads of Courage program that provides meaningful beads to children undergoing treatment. Support the Bead Pharmacy with your purchase in the Beads of Courage online store.

Sew: Donate your time and skills to stitch Bead Bags for Beads of Courage program participants. These drawstring bags are given to Beads of Courage members to contain the numerous amounts of beads they receive during their treatments. 

Each One Teach One

Beadwork Designer of the Year 2019 Wendy Ellsworth traveled to Kenya in 2013. Once there, she realized she could make a difference in the lives of Masaai and Samburu women. Wendy partnered with Debby Rooney, founder of Beads for Education. Through this organization, she was able to share her beading knowledge, teaching new finishing techniques to improve their beadwork.

Wendy says, “Currently, there are 20 women and 77 children taking refuge and living at Unity Village in Kenya. Their primary source of reliable income is selling their colorful beadwork through the Samburu Youth Education Fund (SYEF), based at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. Although they find progress in achieving their goals extremely challenging, by local standards they have been successful. Since 2016, the average income generated by Unity women via SYEF is $400, equaling the mean annual income for rural tribal Kenyans!”

Read more about Unity Village and support Samburu Youth Education Fund by making a donation or shopping their beautiful beaded jewelry, baskets and animal sculptures.

Doing Good Feels Good

As Desmond Tutu said, “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” We’d love to hear about your bits of good, large or small. Please tell us about the charitable organizations you support through jewelry making, donations, or time. Share pics and links with us on Facebook @BeadingDailyonFB or @JewelryMakingDaily.

Originally published 11/23/2019. Updated 11/22/2022.

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