Beads of Courage
Children Connect Through Courage and Kindness
“Today I went swimming at Rainbow Day Camp and thought of you. I’m sorry you’re sick. I hope you feel better soon.”
– note from a camper, age 9
This is one of the many notes that campers at the Albert & Ann Deshur JCC Rainbow Day Camp wrote to children across the country who have serious illnesses, as part of a pilot program with national nonprofit Beads of Courage. Beads of Courage provides innovative, arts-in-medicine supportive care programs for children coping with serious illness, their families and their health care providers who care for them.
Through the program, children with serious illnesses tell their story using colorful beads as meaningful symbols of their courage. For milestones in their treatment journey, children receive handmade, one-of-a-kind glass or polymer clay beads made by artists and volunteers.
Last summer, thanks to the generosity of the Northwestern Mutual Foundation—which partners with both the JCC and Beads of Courage—campers at JCC Rainbow Day Camp made their own polymer clay beads to give to children in the program. The official JCC Rainbow Day Camp bead features a rainbow stripe running through glittery light blue clay. These beads reflect our campers’ creativity and honor the patients’ bravery. For those children receiving the beads, getting art from another child is like making a new friend.
