Lanyard Workshop in Spring

Lanyard Workshop in Spring (click link for details and a map)

Friends of Erin and Alex will gather and make lanyards to benefit the Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation.

When: November 1
Time: 3:00 PM
Location: 10710 Bowden Chase Drive, Spring, Texas

Halloween Lanyards

Let me know if you are interested in a Halloween lanyard featuring either candy corn or pumpkin beads.

Introducing the "Swine Flew" Lanyard

What would you do if pigs could fly?

Capture them and add them to a lanyard, definitely!

Introducing our latest creation, "The Swine Flew" lanyard, featuring the cutest little flying pig bead. Specify whether you want germ-y looking accent beads or not. Doesn't your favorite health care provider or other warrior on the front line of the flu pandemic need one of these?

Introducing the Spirit Line of Lanyards

Show off your school or team colors with the new Spirit Line Lanyard. Background seed beads display your colors with letter beads spelling out your school or team name and affiliation.

Lanyard Workshop

Fun for all ages!

When: October 23
Time: 4:00 pm
Location: Vickie's House (email for directions)

Join in the Fight for Layla

“Fighting for Layla a Fall Fundraiser” will be held Saturday, October 24, 11 am to 4 pm, at Warner Elementary School, 19545 Cypress N. Houston, Cypress, Texas. The family fun event will feature a raffle, face painting, barbecue and a silent auction.

The event organizers have invited Erin’s Dream Lanyards to be a part of this special day. Lanyards will be on display and available for purchase with a donation to CNCF (Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation).

Layla Grace Marsh is an almost 2 old girl that was diagnosed with Neuroblasoma in May of this year. She has undergone multiple surgeries, chemotherapy and blood transfusions. Her future treatment will consist of radiation followed by a bone marrow transplant.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will be donated to the Marsh family to help defray the cost of Layla's care, with a donation given to the CNCF. For more information about Layla visit www.laylagrace.org.

Special Columbus Day Lanyard Workshop

Host: Vickie Buenger
Time: 2:00PM Monday, October 12th
Location: My House (email for directions)

Lanyard Workshop

Host: Vickie Buenger
Time: 4:00PM Friday, October 9th
Location: My House (email for directions)

Bring a Friend!

Erin's Dream Lanyards Go to New York

Allie Maier first learned about Neuroblastoma when a young family friend, Toby Pannone, was diagnosed with the disease. Allie followed Toby’s struggle and the many surgeries and treatments he endured. In honor of Toby, she wanted to help raise awareness and funds for Pediatric Cancer as a part of her “Mitzvah” project in celebration of her Bat Mitzvah. A family friend, Mooki Saltzman, told Allie and her mother about Erin’s Dream Lanyards. Allie had found the perfect project.

Since the Maiers live out of state, Allie’s mom Elissa gathered the necessary information from the Erin’s Dream Lanyards web site to organize the event. On October 2, Allie Maier hosted the first lanyard workshop to be held in New York! Allie began the day by sharing Toby’s story. She then told the group about Erin and her dream of raising funds and awareness with the lanyard project. Allie’s friends jumped in with enthusiasm and created the beautiful lanyards pictured below. They enjoyed it so much that they asked to come back and make more. The workshop turned into a weekend event with other friends and family members joining in the fun. To date the group has created 65 lanyards and they are still going!

Introducing the Colby Ash "Camo" Lanyards for the Sportsman/woman

For anyone who wants their lanyard to blend in with their wardrobe, we introduce the Colby Ash Camo line of lanyards. When ordering specify jungle, desert, or as shown below, rocky desolation. Also, let us know whether you would like the optional bottle opener extension package that miraculously transforms your lanyard into an emergency thirst quenching tool.

Lanyard Workshop

We have increasing opportunities to place lanyards in good loving homes.

Host: Vickie Buenger
Time: 4:00PM Friday, September 25th
Location: My House (email for directions)

Stop by after school or after work or before the game!

Introducing the Christian Year Line of Lanyards

For lanyard wearers who value meaningful beads over symmetry, we introduce the Christian Year Lanyard.

The background seed beads represent the colors of the liturgical year, while each accent bead stands for an important occasion in the Christian church: creation, the manger, the star of Bethlehem, the shepherds, the Magi, the carpenter, baptism, disciples, bread and wine, the cross, the tomb, the resurrection, fish, and the trinity.

Introducing the Pat Lacey Line of Manyards

Trying to figure out how to get in on the Erin's Dream Lanyard action, but don't have an occasion to wear an ID badge?

Find yourself in thirsty situations without the right equipment?

Wondering what the "(and Manyards)" part of the blog title means?

Want to figure out how to be more like Pat Lacey (whose son, Will, is my uber-hero)?

Consider ordering a Pat Lacey Manyard (notice how I put the manyards on a faux marble table cloth and used bad lighting and even worse photography to make these babies look more manly?).

Up and Working

Luckily, it didn't take much to fix the script for the online order form. It's up and working now. Operators are standing by.

Ack! My Order Form Widget Doesn't Work

I don't know what happened, but the code widget I was using to create lanyard orders stopped working. I will try and fix it or get a new one ASAP. In the meantime, if you need a lanyard email me at vbuenger@mays.tamu.edu with your order specifications.

CNCF Supports NANT

If you wonder where lanyard money goes, here's part of the story. CNCF just contributed $100,000 to the New Approaches to Neuroblastoma Therapy consortium.

Thank you.

Where in the World Are Erin's Dream Lanyards?

We've created a Wiki map to help figure out where all of Erin's Lanyards have found homes. If you know anything about Wiki (read on if you don't), this is going to require your help. If you own one (or more) or Erin's Dream Lanyards click here or on the link at the bottom of this post. This will take you to a full screen of the map.

Look for the box that says, "Map Wiki" towards the upper right of the screen

Click on "Edit Map" right below the words "Map Wiki"

Put your zip code or city and state in the search box.

Click the blue box with the white arrow.

If it has found your correct location, click on the pink balloon.

Click the big blue "Save" button.

Now we have located another of Erin's Dream Lanyards.


http://www.umapper.com/maps/view/id/41212/

Erin's Dream Lanyards. . .Everywhere

Rainy Day Fun

Did your outdoor plans get scrapped because of the weather today? I have an alternative for you. Jennifer Fountain at the Bead Fountain is having a bead trunk show today. She is setting up a display to ask customers to buy a string of beads and donate them to Erin's Dream Lanyards. Here are the details in case you have an itch for beads:

College Station Bead Show

Saturday, Sept. 12

10a-4p

1804 Brothers Blvd # D
College Station, TX 77845-5474
(979) 694-2323
Get directions

Semi-precious Gemstones, Freshwater Pearls, Czech Glass beads.

Lanyard Workshop

Fun for All Ages

This event doesn't fit neatly into an event type category. It is art/cause/party, but mostly fun. We will get together and string beads to make lanyards, eyeglasses chains, and necklaces. We sell these to raise money for pediatric cancer research.

Host: Vickie Buenger
Time: 4:00PM Friday, September 11th
Location: My House (email for directions)

Origins of Erin's Dream Lanyards

Some friends introduced Erin to the concept of making lanyards with jewelry wire and glass beads last fall when she was having in-patient chemo. Erin thought they would make great Christmas gifts for teachers. Unfortunately, each one took longer than she thought to make, so we had to fall back on a different plan for teacher gifts. Erin finished making the ones she had started over Christmas vacation and decided she would give them to the teachers anyway. She paired that idea with idea that they might want to make a donation to the Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation in exchange for having a cool and beautiful lanyard. Soon Erin's lanyards became such a big hit that she needed help from friends to collaborate with her.

Erin died in April 2009, a month short of finishing her sixth grade year in the INQUIRE Academy at Jane Long Middle School. Erin's friends have continued her work making lanyards, and people all over have continued to send donations to the Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation in exchange for these artful and whimsical items.

There's a more important story embedded here. Erin's beaded lanyards help people by providing harnesses for their IDs. They also help people by generating funds for pediatric cancer research. Beyond these instrumental outcomes, there are some other benefits. Beading gave Erin something to do when she didn't feel like doing much. It gave her friends something to do with her when she couldn't run around and play like they could. Beyond that, wearing one of Erin's Dream Lanyards might prompt someone to notice and gives the wearer a chance to spread the word.

Since her death, lanyard making has continued to bring our friends together and has helped us make new friends. We add at least one green bead (Erin's favorite color) to each lanyard as "A Touch of Erin." When we bead, we share time, space, and conversation. As a bonus, Erin's friends have learned that you don't have to be rich, powerful, or even grown up to make a difference. Erin's Dream Lanyards has raised thousands of dollars since her death towards finding a cure for neuroblastoma.

Erin's Dream Lanyards in North Carolina

Kristen Smith of the University of North Carolina (Greensburg) held a Lanyard Workshop at a YMCA Teen Leaders Camp this summer. Kristen, who volunteers at the camp each year, proclaimed the workshop a great success and posted a slide show on youtube. Click on the link below to see her wonderful work!