When Tyler Quinn, 10, of Barnegat noticed that making Rainbow Loom bracelets was becoming popular among his peers, he decided to put the new fad to good use. A fifth-grade Cecil S. Collins School student, Quinn asked his principal, George Delaporte, and his teacher, Linda McGlynn, if he could sell the bracelets in school to help raise money for breast cancer awareness month in honor of his mother, Karen, who was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer in October 2012.
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| Photo by Jack Reynolds Tyler Quinn, 10, of Barnegat shows off the bracelets he made in support of breast cancer awareness. |
“Ever since my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, it’s been sort of tough. And these bracelets were really popular, so I decided to make them,” said Tyler. “I love to make them; a lot of people like to make them. They were selling everywhere, and everyone was making them. In school they’re very popular, and since my mom’s a survivor, I decided to do something nice and make other people feel good, too.”
Karen Quinn said she and her family received a lot of local support during her chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Last year, Barnegat High School funded the family’s Thanksgiving dinner, which was catered by Sweet Jenny’s Restaurant. The high school and the Collins school also donated gift cards during Christmastime.
“It was kind of sad,” said Tyler. “I felt bad because she was going through all this. I was just worried that something bad would happen.”
Thankfully, Karen finished her radiation treatments in March and chemotherapy in June, and has since been cancer-free.
When Tyler’s sister, Meaghan, began making the Rainbow Loom bracelets in August, Tyler said he “didn’t really like them because I didn’t really understand them.” But once he started making the bracelets, he realized the project was actually enjoyable.
The craft consists of making colorful, latex-free rubber bands into different patterned bracelets by using a special loom kit, which can be found in many local stores, such as Michaels and Walmart.
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| Photo by Jack Reynolds With the help of his mother, Karen, Tyler Quinn has made more than 200 bracelets. |
Tyler and nearly 20 of his friends at school are selling the bracelets during their lunch period for $1 or 50 cents each, depending on the size and number of rubber bands used. With the help of his mother, Tyler said he has personally made more than a couple of hundred bracelets. He began selling them in early October, and with the help of his peers, has made more than $400 in sales.
“I’ve spent hundreds on rubber bands, I’m not kidding you. He just keeps making them,” said Karen, pointing to a display of mostly pink-and-white bracelets, which are the colors for breast cancer awareness.
In October Tyler helped draft a letter that was sent home to the school students’ parents, asking for help in making the bracelets. The letter informed parents that the bracelets would also be available for purchase at TGI Friday’s in Manahawkin, where kids eat for free on Wednesday nights. Tyler along with many other Barnegat students made $971 in bracelet sales at the restaurant on Wednesday, Oct. 16.
“That cracked our $1,000 mark,” said Tyler. “It’s important that I'm not the only one doing this by myself. People actually helped me,” he added.
It was at Friday’s that Tyler and his mother saw a flyer for David’s Dream and Believe Cancer Foundation, a nonprofit organization that raises funds to provide financial assistance and services to families primarily in New Jersey that are affected by a cancer diagnosis. Tyler has decided to donate all of the money raised through the bracelet initiative to the local organization, which will then donate it to a local breast cancer patient.
Tyler’s “a very special kid, and there’s no question he cares not only about his mom and her battle with this ugly disease, but for other people in the fight,” said David Caldarella, a local resident who founded David’s Dream and Believe Cancer Foundation after he was diagnosed with stage IV squamous cell carcinoma in 2010. “It’s incredibly inspiring for me to see this 10-year-old so motivated to pay it forward,” he added.
Besides helping others and gaining a sense of bravery, Tyler said making the bracelets has connected him with other kids at school whom he did not know very well before.
“It brings the kids together. I’ve known them, but I didn’t really know them that well. Some of them I wasn’t really close with, and now I’m pretty close with them,” he explained.
Karen said she, too, has made new friends through her son’s breast cancer initiative.
Tyler hopes to raise $2,000 in donations by the end of October. Anyone interested in making or purchasing bracelets can visit him and his friends at TGI Friday’s in Manahawkin on Wednesday, Oct. 30, between 5 and 9 p.m.
Tyler said he plans to create a website to sell the bracelets online. He hopes to sell more around Christmastime to benefit another local cancer organization to help support patients who are going through chemotherapy.
“My mom’s chemo was during the winter, too,” he said.
–Kelley Anne Essinger
–Kelley Anne Essinger
This article was published in The SandPaper.
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