Courage Tiger's Road Trip Day 33: ReTurning to the Community

Here in Minnesota there is so much that happens, and one of our amazing partners is here. The American Association of Woodturners, AAW, is headquartered up in Minnesota! The AAW has partnered with Beads of Courage to provide bead bowls for our members. These bead bowls serve as sacred and beautiful vessels for our member's cherished beads. One of the people that brought together the AAW and Beads of Courage was Linda, the main program director!

A woodturned truck filled with beads!

Linda has been turning for over seventeen years, and “loves the creative possibilities and personal challenges the woodturning provides.” Through her local chapter, the Minnesota Woodturners, she made a connection with Beads of Courage. The Minnesota Woodturners have been donating beautiful bowls since 2014, and now dozens of other chapters across the country are donating bowls to our members. 

Some of the cute bowls made for our members

Every year, the AAW hosts their symposium where woodturners can share their inspirations and learn more about turning. In 2014, Beads of Courage was selected as the beneficiary of their "ReTurn to the Community" project. When I asked Linda about why she believes Beads of Courage was chosen, she told me, “I think the woodturning community has an emphasis on sharing, many of our local chapters have participated locally and nationally. In 2016 at the Atlanta Symposium about 800 boxes were donated.”

Linda and another woodturner at the 2016 Symposium!

Thank you Linda for sharing more with me about AAW and your work with us. Support Beads of Courage and our programs by funding the mission during the 9th Annual Bead Challenge!

Courage Tiger’s 2017 Road Trip is a feature of the 9th Annual Bead Challenge, a three-month nationwide fundraiser and beadraiser for Beads of Courage. As the official Beads of Courage mascot, Courage Tiger is visiting all 50 states to highlight the incredible work our organization does by sharing stories of our courageous members, families, clinicians, and the caring community of artists and supporters who make our vital work possible. Please get involved in Bead Challenge 2017 by visiting www.beadchallenge.org today. Sign up to PARTICIPATE as a fundraiser, CREATE glass beads, or DONATE to the cause. With your help, we can Make Courage Roar for kids coping with serious illness! Many thanks to Bead Challenge 2017 presenting sponsor Northwestern Mutual and supporting sponsor Soda Lime Times.

- Contributed by Cristal Rogers, Marketing and Communications Intern, Beads of Courage