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My journey towards making Bracelets 4 A Cause started in 8th grade, when I saw a classmate selling something as simple as candy cups. I was surprised they sold so well and thought, "Why not sell something more meaningful and for a good cause?"
I’ve always had a passion for crafts and so making bracelets seemed like a really good fit.
I started off small, selling a couple of bracelets to my friends at school and explaining the cause to them. The cost of each hand-made bracelet was $4 and a hundred percent of the funds would go towards helping people in need of cataract surgeries. As soon as I realized that selling twelve bracelets could give someone the gift of sight, it hit me: why not sell them in bundles? I called it the GIFT OF VISION bundle.
After selling the bracelets to many of my friends at school, I thought, why not sell them to my friends in the mandir? Soon, word spread about Sight4Eyes.
When Pujya Vivekmurti Swami visited the San Jose Mandir on April 13, 2024, he was happy to learn that I didn't stop after the "Small Hands Big Hearts" project and continued in the footsteps of Pramukh Swami Maharaj. He blessed me and even prayed for the success of Sight4Eyes.
After Pujya Vivekmurti Swami's talk, a lot of people congratulated me, and my friends even offered to help make the bracelets.
The next weekend, on April 20, 2024, my friends Krisha and Yatri came over for a sleepover, and we started making bracelets. Soon, we were out of beads and string, so we headed over to Michael's to buy more supplies. Along the way, my parents treated all of us to Boba!
It was a fun weekend, and while our goal was to make 100 bracelets, we ended up making 68 bracelets.
San Jose Walkathon - April 2024
The annual San Jose "In the Joy of Others Walk/Run" took place on April 27, 2024. This walkathon has always been one of my favorite events because I love seeing everyone united for the same cause, creating one big supportive community. This year, I had a booth at the event for Sight4Eyes, where I had the opportunity to spread awareness about the cause.
I also met inspiring mentors who gave me valuable advice, and I was honored to receive a certificate for my efforts. My friends Krisha, Yatri, Jharna, Saanvi, and Pushti were a huge help at the booth.
Mentors
Shashi Uncle’s booth was right next to mine, and it was the most popular booth at the event. Everyone was having a lot of fun at his booth and cheering loudly! When he stopped by my booth and learned about Sight4Eyes, he immediately signed up for the GIFT OF VISION bracelet bundle and even started spreading the word.
One of my mandir teachers, Poojaben, had visited my booth as well. As soon as she heard about my project, she said, “Well, where are the bracelets at, darling? Let me buy them.” Even though she didn’t need that many bracelets, she still purchased the GIFT OF VISION bundle and gave them to all of her friends. She also offered advice on ways I could improve, and I felt truly blessed to have her as one of my mentors.
Rajesh Uncle and Tejal Aunty came to my booth with their niece, who loved four bracelets. They gave me $100, and when I tried to return the change, they said, “The remaining amount is for your project, and keep up the good work.” I couldn’t believe their generosity and was overjoyed.
When Vishal Uncle and Suchi Aunty visited my booth, Vishal Uncle asked, “What is your goal?” I told him I wanted to raise $1,500 for Sight4Eyes. He encouraged me to dream bigger, saying, “Your goal should be to give the gift of sight to the maximum amount of people, not just to raise a specific amount of money. If you follow your passion, success will follow.”
Tri-Valley Walkathon- June
The Tri-Valley walkathon took place on June 15th, 2024 and was yet another great experience! It was so pleasant setting up our booth and getting to know all the other people around us. Once it was time for the opening ceremony, I saw the Pleasanton mayor, Karla Brown, and immediately remembered her from the city council meeting. I went to go talk to her and re-introduced myself. I reminded her that I had spoken about the walkathon in the city council meeting. She was very supportive and happy to hear about my mission. She even bought a few bracelets to support Sight4Eyes and it was one of the highlights of my day.
As soon as all the certificates were held out, we got to hold the banner as the opening ceremony ribbon was cut. My friends and I then made it back to our booth, where we continued to spread the mission of the gift of vision. Even though it was especially hot that day, everyone was smiling, helping out and most of all having fun.
One of my mentors, Sheila Aunty, really loved the mission so she helped spread the word, as well as encouraged me greatly. Sheila Aunty even told me that she would love to share the project with nationals.
In the previous walkathon, Shailesh Uncle bought two bracelets, however, he’s such a busy man that I was never able to get a hold of him. At this walkathon, I met him again, and he bought bracelets for 50 dollars worth and even told me he would sell them at his office!
One new item that I sold at the Tri-Valley walkathon, is what I call the "mala" bead bracelet. A while back, my dad told me about a rosewood bracelet that he had always wanted, but was always overpriced and hard to find. That was what inspired me to create our new mala bracelet, which is a token symbolizing that god is always with you. I started off by making ten to see how it sold, and it was a hit!
There were many amazing experiences at both of the walkathons and I also learnt some very important lessons. I cannot thank everyone enough and have included the names of everyone who purchased the GIFT OF VISION bundle in the Sponsor's section.
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