Since its inception in 2004, Beads of Courage has provided hope to children suffering from serious illnesses. Parents, family members and even hospital faculty use Beads of Courage to help the children cope with the fact that they have cancer or other serious illnesses.
Jean Baruch developed Beads of Courage because she realized how emotionally difficult it was for children to grasp the concept of having cancer.
After attending Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camp for children and families coping with cancer, she noticed how infatuated the children were by the beads. She hoped the beads would have the same effect on the young cancer patients in the hospital where she worked.
All beads have their own meaning. White beads represent chemotherapy, yellow beads are for an overnight stay in the hospital and glow in the dark beads are for radiation. Depending on the severity of their illness, some children can accumulate up to 35 feet of beads.
Baruch hopes the children will use the beads as tools of encouragement to keep fighting through all of the treatments and surgeries and overcome their illnesses altogether. Beads represent strength and courage.
Over 60 hospitals in the United States, as well as a few in New Zealand and Japan, utilize the Beads of Courage program. Georgia has seven hospitals that utilize Beads of Courage. More than 10,000 children benefit from the Beads of Courage program, which is constantly growing every day.
The Beads of Courage programs also offer other outlets of encouragement. The Creative Courage Journal is another activity that young cancer patients can use to take their minds off of cancer and focus on their accomplishments.
Courage in Motion is an upcoming event in Arizona that will serve as a fundraiser for Beads of Courage. This fundraiser is a 10 hour dance marathon. $60 must be raised in order to participate in this event, or an hourly fee of $12 will be needed to enter alternatively.
Another unique fundraiser is Team Beads of Courage. Team Beads of Courage allows people to put together a team that will compete in walk/run marathons or any event that will allow you to represent Beads of Courage. It does not have to be a team effort; individuals can become a part of Team Beads of Courage. A few members of the U.S. Olympic Team were also part of Team Beads of Courage.
