Lisa’s Beads support cancer patients
Year round, Port Hope teen Haley Sanders-with the help of her friends Isha
Banerjee and Jenna Wood-work at creating beaded necklaces, anklets and bracelets which they then sell to raise money for charity.
The idea came to Haley when she heard about a fundraising initiative called Lisa’s Beads. The program was created in 2003 following the death of Lisa McBride who succumbed to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. At the time of her death, Lisa left behind two young daughters, twelve and eight years old respectively, and several young nieces. As a way of channeling their grief into something positive, they started to create the beaded jewelry that they then sold at various events for charity.
Their jewelry quickly became a symbol of love and resilience, and their idea grew into a full-fledged charitable organization. Haley’s mom Leslie is a past employee of Lakeridge Health in
Oshawa (now on Staff of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union) when she first heard about Lisa’s Beads. She took the idea to Haley and her friends and soon they were also supporting the mission of
Lisa’s Beads.
While attending an OPSEU annual convention, NHH Medical Radiation Technologist Wendy Scott met Haley who was there selling her bracelets. Wendy ordered a bulk supply of
the beaded creations. Bracelets sell for $5 and necklaces for$10.
Sales were so brisk that Haley was able to eventually donate $10,000 to the new Durham Regional Cancer Centre. With the Durham Regional Cancer Centre now opened, Haley turned her attention to a more local cause and decided her next donation would be in support of chemotherapy services at Northumberland Hills Hospital.
“I
think anything I can do to make it easier for people going through cancer I’ll do it”, says Haley.
Haley’s efforts resulted this summer in a gift of $1,000 in support of the Northumberland Hills Hospital.
--Reprinted from the Northumberland Hills Hospital
Foundation newsletter |
