FULL CIRCLE...

From K-Kids, to Key Club, to 

CIRCLE K INTERNATIONAL

Blog by Marcia Miculek

The Austin Community College service organization called Circle K International invited Vickie Buenger to present a Lanyard Workshop on October 14, 2014.  The Club is a college based group built on the fundamentals of service, leadership, and fellowship.  Their mission is developing college students into a global network of responsible citizens and leaders with a lifelong commitment to service.  The "K" is for Kiwanis Club a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time.  They sponsor clubs for kids, youth, & college students.

This Austin based club selected as one of their service projects to have a lanyard making meeting to support funding for research and donate all proceeds to the Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation.  Mauri Miculek Winters acting in an advisory role put them in touch with Vickie Buenger and Erin's Dream Lanyard, fund raising project created by her daughter to help children with cancer.  These college students created colorful and unique lanyards with awesome artistic flare and really enjoyed this 2 hour dedication to a worthy service cause!

Just Display It

Key Club Service Fair Project
 Blog by Marcia Miculek

While enjoying a productive lanyard workshop at Bryan High School with the campus Key Club on March 24th, their sponsor approached Vickie about a special project that the students would like to present at their convention in April.  They would like to support Erin's Dream Lanyard's effort to raise funds for research to find a cure for pediatric cancer by creating a special display board as their service fair project.  

 

The Texas-Oklahoma District Key Club convention was is Dallas, TX on April 24-27 and over 30 high school clubs had project displays. This beautiful display of Erin's Dream Lanyard fund raiser project reflected her story, her battle with neuroblastoma cancer, and her innovative approach to help other children.  The Bryan Key Club was honored to be able to make this their special project presentation and answered many questions from the other clubs.

Lanyard making was one of Erin's many projects and her friends have continued her work making artful and whimsical lanyards.  All proceeds go to finding a cure for childhood cancer.

The Key Club is a service-oriented club sponsored by the Kiwanis Club International, so they were glad to represent the idea of community service with the other clubs and hope that they will also join in this important cause by each planning to have their own Erin's Dream lanyard workshop.

Below: Getting experience at lanyard making at the March 24th workshop at Bryan High School.  Thanks to Melinda Mack for pictures and help with Key Club information.

Just String It...Twice!

Lanyard Workshops - Bryan HS & Wesley Foundation  

 Blog by Marcia Miculek -  3/24/14

The first workshop of the afternoon took place at Bryan High School with students in the Key Club and NHS members.  Many of these students were friends with Erin and were very enthusiastic to be a part of this lanyard walk down memory lane.  With lots of planning and bead selection the start strings began to reflect fantastic patterns, colors, and even family cancer tributes represented by certain bead choices.

Erin's Mom Vickie Buenger makes the workshops educational with updates about pediatric cancer statistics and current information about research, drug treatments, and funding data.  All money for the lanyards goes 100% to the Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer foundation.  She makes the workshops great fun and treasures the help to keep Erin's special project rolling.  

The second workshop for the day was at the Wesley Foundation in College Station with a group of college women determined to make a difference by sharing in the lanyard making process to help fund research and a cure for Neuroblastoma.  Many more whimsical and artistic creations got finished during the evening and these students wanted to buy their beaded lanyards for friends, parents, or themselves.  They inspired each other with their creations and Vickie definitely provided a motivational impetus for the urgency to do a better job in finding drugs to cure pediatric cancers.

 

"A TOUCH OF ERIN"

 

 Just Design It!

 

MacArthur Lanyard Workshop

 Guest Blog by Marcia Miculek - 2/27/14

The student council members of MacArthur High School met in their cafeteria to make beaded lanyards to raise money for the Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation.  A lot of special designs were planned and beads carefully selected to create color patterns and unique shape sequences.  The students were instructed about the pediatric cancer research and funding needs related to finding new drugs to treat children and better hopes for cures.  Students and teacher sponsors worked together to complete beautiful lanyards to raise money for Erin's Dream Lanyard Project. 

 

Just Bead It!

K-Kids Lanyard Workshop at Henderson Elementary

Guest Blog by Marcia Miculek – 1/30/2014

It was a real treat for me to assist Vickie Buenger in a lanyard workshop benefitting the Children’s Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation.  The library was filled with K-Kids, teachers, parents, and a lot of enthusiasm to string beads into quirky and artistic lanyards.  

It was amazing to watch the students work on patterns, colors, and shapes as dedicated beaders for Erin’s Dream Lanyard cause.  Success was the storyline of the workshop and the K-Kid’s pride in their finished products was evident in their smiles and anxious spirits to try them on.  

I always think music…so to play a little with Michael Jackson’s song “Beat It”…I titled this blog “Bead It” and quote his lyrics, “No one wants to be defeated…Showin’ how funky strong is your fight…Just beat it”.  This became our fight today to help with funding to find a cure by working on a lanyard to JUST BEAD IT!