Containers of colorful beads surround conversing students who are focused on their tedious creations of jewelry for an excellent cause as Biojewelry for Breast Cancer is sponsored by the WY-Partners of the Americas.
Youth volunteers meet weekly to produce eco-friendly jewelry to sell to local venues, such as Big Hollow Food Co-Op and Works of Wyoming, where all the money that is raised contributes to a rural mobile mammography program for women in Goias, Brazil. The program helps increase early detection and treatment of breast cancer.
So far, the program has raised $27,000 of their $40,000 goal.
“We prefer to sell to people face-to-face, rather than online, because the purchaser learns how they make the jewelry and the cause they support,” said Dorly Piske, president of the WY-Partners of the Americas and founder of Biojewelry for Breast Cancer.
Biojewelry is eco-friendly and made from seeds, nuts and coconut shells native to Brazilian tropical forests.
These beads are often polished and colored through natural and artificial dyes, creating unique jewelry.
“Bringing beads from Goias and transforming them into attractive pieces of jewelry is a way to learn about sustainable use of natural resources and the lifestyles of the people who harvest and process these seeds,” said Piske.
Students involved in the program enjoy coming to the relaxed beading work times for a variety of reasons.
“It is a good opportunity to improve my resume and I always feel accomplished about my work,” said high school senior Joe Kindler.
The program provides desirable community service work for Sara Fluer and Tia Lowry, both members of Big Brother and Sister, because it provides reliable weekly meetings and opportunities to meet new people.
“I always love the group dynamics; you never know how diverse the group is going to be,” Fluer said.
Fluer has been attending the biojewelry workshops for about two years and appreciates that the group is still going strong.
Biojewelry for Breast Cancer has recently affiliated itself with members of Phi Upsilon Omicron and the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences for “Eco Chic: A Sustainable Fashion Show.” Not only will proceeds from the show’s silent auction benefit the Biojewelry for Breast Cancer cause, but the show will also have the organization’s jewelry for sale.
Piske is excited to say that this April, a professional jewelry designer is helping the program to “take the designs to the next level for the upcoming show.”
