Students craft 500 friendship bracelets for charity gala

April 16, 2024

Boyce Middle School students are putting their stamp on the Children’s Home of Pittsburgh’s annual Spring Gala. Each attendee will receive a friendship bracelet handmade by the Upper St. Clair fifth and sixth graders.

Students are volunteering during their free time in order to reach their goal of making 500 bracelets. The service project is coordinated by school counselors Amy Antonio and Tonia Autieri.

“We emailed the fifth grade and sixth grade students and asked if they would like to volunteer to help, they could come down during Pride Time, recess and Team Time,” Mrs. Autieri said. “Our Outreach Committee is also making bracelets before school during the week to help out as well. Kids that are participating in the IB program are also using the time they work on the bracelets as part of their community service requirement.”

Boyce Middle School supported the Children’s Home of Pittsburgh during the winter holidays with the school’s annual Friendship Gift Bag service project and students raised more than $1,700 for the organization through a Valentine’s Day fundraiser.

 

“When we worked with The Children's Home for our holiday project, we were discussing other opportunities for our kids to volunteer, which is how we got involved with the Spring Gala in April,” Mrs. Autieri said. “The Children's Home has been amazed at how much our kids are doing to help their programs and they were happy to have us work with them again this spring.”

Mrs. Autieri has been amazed by the enthusiasm the middle school students have shown for this project.

“They are happy and excited that actual people who help The Children's Home will be wearing their bracelets at the gala,” she said. “They are so creative and genuinely happy to be making the bracelets. Although 500 are a lot of bracelets to make, they certainly have brought some much-needed stress relief for all of us!”

In addition to teaching the importance of helping others, the bracelet project has created opportunities for students to broaden their circle of friends.

“The kids are meeting new people and socializing with others who they may have never met before if it hadn't been for this project,” Mrs. Autieri said. “Honestly, watching them work on the bracelets while helping each other out has definitely filled my bucket!”

The Children's Home Pittsburgh is hosting its 80s themed Spring Gala on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at the Rivers Casino. For information, visit www.childrenshomepgh.org/syb/.