Beading Bracelets for Buddies

Just before Chanukah, Molly Sommer and Alyssa Benbassat, sophomores at Morristown-Beard School, dreamed up a project to benefit the Friendship Circle and pique the interest of their peers. The Friendship Circle presidents decided to hold a bracelet making session as a Friendship Circle club activity after school.

“We all love to make bracelets,” said Alyssa. “We thought it would be nice to make them for a good cause rather than just for ourselves, and it’s a nice way to include our Friendship Circle buddies.” Over 20 people came, and together they strung over 100 beaded bracelets. 

And then, they brought all the bracelets to distribute to the participants at the Friendship Circle Torah Circle the following Sunday. 

Every participant had a chance to pick their favorite bracelet, as a Chanukah present from the volunteers. “The kids got so excited!” recalled Alyssa. And then, the kids surprised the volunteers with their own generosity. “Some wanted to give them as gifts to their mothers or siblings. It was really sweet,” recalled Alyssa. But mostly, she said, “It felt so nice to see the kids’ smiles. It was really rewarding.”

Everywhere you looked that Sunday, someone was sporting a newly minted bracelet or two. They were purple and blue with smiley sun charms; green and silver and black with no charms; orange and yellow with “Be Happy” spelled out in beads. They were all kinds of color combinations. And as Alyssa said, there were smiles all around.