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-   -   Glass Bead Donation Guidelines (Updated 6/12/2012) (http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=199955)

RSimmons 2011-07-08 11:40am

Glass Bead Donation Guidelines (Updated 6/12/2012)
 
Donating Beads to Beads of Courage

Your Beads go for Good Deeds!

The Beads of Courage Program depends upon three types of beads:

1.Program Beads. These are the vast majority of beads that we use in the program. These beads are commercially manufactured due largely to the sheer numbers involved. These beads are the ones that you may have seen on bead guides that correspond to specific events in treatment.

2.Act of Courage Beads. These are the artist-made glass beads that are given to acknowledge the milestones in their treatment journey. This year, we expect that we will need well over 100,000 of these handmade beads donated so children can continue to receive one-of-a-kind beads for significant treatment milestones. We need these from our supporting artists more than any other bead. These beads truly bring the arts to our arts-in-medicine mission. Thank you!

3. Purple Hearts are still a very important part of the Beads of Courage programs. We've had to go to a commercially produced Purple Heart but still use the artist-made hearts whenever we have them on hand.

What is an Act of Courage Bead? Act of Courage beads can take almost any form that you would like to make - it's an opportunity for you let your imagination go and make new things or whatever you want to do. Larger beads (over 1 1/4 inch long) are the first to go out for really special Acts of Courage and we really need these! The 3/32 mandrel is preferred but other sizes are also usable.
Special Requirements for Act of Courage Beads:

 When you make beads for us please be sure to have nice 'puckers' on the ends of the beads. Sharp edges on the bead holes can cut fingers so beads with sharp edges can’t be sent out. Overly frilly bits sticking out might break off and leave sharp edges on the surface so please be sure that raised dots have solid connections (no undercuts) and that surface decorations are robust enough to take some knocking about.

 We also ask that you refrain from using reduction frit or glasses that give a metallic sheen on the surface due to heavy metal issues with these materials. We can’t send metallic reduction surface beads out to the kids.

 Anneal your beads properly in a kiln to be sure that they don’t crack. Cracked beads have to go into the trash.

 Before you ship please make sure that the bead release is cleaned out. Beads with the release still inside take more time for our limited staff to clean and this seriously slows down our turnaround time.

 When you send your beads please include a brief inventory in the package along with your contact information. We want to send you a Thank You certificate and a receipt for your donation. If you send beads from multiple donors in one box just include the same information for everyone so that they can all be recognized.A bead donation form can be downloaded from this page:
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Maintaining these requirements will help us get the beads out to the kids quickly and get your acknowledgments and receipts back to you in a timely fashion. All donated beads are inspected and sorted by our staff in Tucson and making sure that your beads meet the need really helps things move along. Quality is far more important than quantity.

Bead Delivery to Hospitals. None of our member hospitals are set up for direct donation. All beads distributed in our programs are our responsibility so we need to see every Act of Courage bead before it goes out. Please remember to send all of your donated beads to the Beads of Courage Headquarters in Tucson for distribution. You can request that donations go to your nearest member hospital if you like, but remember that there are a lot of kids that need you beads who aren’t near beadmakers and they would love to have your beads, too. Please keep in mind, when possible you will be personally invited to special Beads of Courage events at member hospitals where you can deliver Dream Beads in person. We look forward to having more of these events in the future!

Our mailing address is:

Beads of Courage, Inc.
3230 North Dodge Blvd.
Suite J
Tucson, AZ 85716

520-344-7668 (Office)
520-344-7824


Thank you all for your generous support of Beads of Courage.

Robert

one-eared pig 2011-07-16 1:36pm

Thanks for this. It is always nice to have it all in one loacation.

SerendipityArtGlass 2012-03-22 10:21pm

???Dream Beads???

Eileen 2012-04-29 10:03am

Dream Beads are beads that children have thought up on their own, as in "if you could have the bead of your dreams, what would it be like?"
They don't have those often, but when they do, if you are signed up you are notified of what they are so you can "claim them". Then you make it & send it in so the BOC person responsible for getting it to them can do so.

zhangxin 2013-08-21 7:53pm

I agree with upstairs point of view
Dream Beads are beads that children have thought up on their own, as in "if you could have the bead of your dreams, what would it be like?"
They don't have those often, but when they do, if you are signed up you are notified of what they are so you can "claim them". Then you make it & send it in so the BOC person responsible for getting it to them can do so.

loribeads 2013-09-27 8:00pm

Is this address still the correct one? Everything on the site indicates an address on Dodge blvd.

Eileen 2013-09-27 8:04pm

Lori, you're right, the address changed late last year.

Beads of Courage, Inc.
Attn: Bead Donations
3230 N. Dodge Blvd. Suite J
Tucson, AZ 85716

is the one I've been using.

Truewealth 2013-09-28 4:54am

Glad I checked this, had the wrong address on my package!

Eileen 2013-09-28 5:43am

And send in the form (address is on it too) so they can acknowledge the gift.


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loribeads 2013-09-29 12:28pm

Thanks Eileen! Done and done!

Reenie 2014-01-22 4:18pm

Can someone tell me what the program beads look like? Going to place a bead order with Fire mountain and would love to have a list of the beads that they use all the time so I can order some of those as well.
Thanks

Eileen 2014-01-22 4:23pm

I would send a PM to Robert Simmons, he's the person who could help you I think.
RSimmons on LE.

RSimmons 2014-01-22 4:52pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reenie (Post 4514775)
Can someone tell me what the program beads look like? Going to place a bead order with Fire mountain and would love to have a list of the beads that they use all the time so I can order some of those as well.
Thanks

Thank you for being interested in keeping our program bead stocks up, but we go through so many that we buy them in fairly massive bulk. The beads that we are chronically low on are the hand made artist beads that we use for Act of Courage beads.

Robert

Tahoe Linda 2014-03-17 9:43pm

Do I make focals?
 
I'm not well informed on this, and I want to contribute. Can I make focals that hang on a string without a head pin (horizontal hole)? Or, do you want big rounds, lentils with vertical holes, etc?? Here is an example of what I'd like to make...


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Thank you!

Tahoe Linda 2014-03-17 10:29pm

Sorry to be so short-sited! I just read some posts on the other BOC threads. I see " pretty" beads are not really what the kids go for. I get it, now! :). Let's see what I can do...

Elizabeth Beads 2014-03-18 6:01am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tahoe Linda (Post 4553913)
Sorry to be so short-sited! I just read some posts on the other BOC threads. I see " pretty" beads are not really what the kids go for. I get it, now! :). Let's see what I can do...

I've been told kids like all sorts of beads, including "pretty" ones like florals that remind them of being outdoors, since they spend so much time in hospitals.

I think your bead would be fine. BOC can use most beads as long as the holes are not sharp. If they don't work for Act of Courage beads, they may be used in projects, fund raisers, sibling programs, etc.

Tahoe Linda 2014-03-18 10:56pm

Okay! Thank you so much for your response.

pierces*designs 2014-03-19 4:38am

Linda, the kids pick what speaks to them. It can be pretty, silly, cute, muted colors, etc. you just never know. Your bead is lovely!

Tahoe Linda 2014-03-21 11:50pm

Thank you! I am SO looking forward to this July. I will be attending the ISGB Gathering in Houston, TX. I read that there will be a Beads of Courage Event, and that everyone should bring bunches of beads to donate.


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