Accessorize For a Cause
PARTNER: Israeli Children’s Fund
DATE: October 2024
LOCATION: San Mateo, California
Over 100 bracelets were made as a fundraiser for orphaned youth.
Overview:
In the wake of the first anniversary of the October 7th Hamas-led attack on Israel, we launched a fundraiser supporting the Israeli Children’s Fund, which aids young people who lost one or both parents in the attacks. Rather than simply asking for donations, we hand-made and delivered beaded bracelets with personalized notes of thanks to everyone who gave. Each bracelet carried with it not just kindness, but connection and impact by raising money for an important cause.
While the numbers may be small compared to larger organizations, our project was personal and powerful. We reached dozens of donors, handmade over 100 bracelets, and reminded people that when it comes to giving, thoughtfulness matters just as much as scale.
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Even a year after the tragedy, we couldn’t stop thinking about the children left behind. The grief, the loss—it was something we felt called to respond to. With so many fundraisers and aid campaigns happening, we wanted to contribute in a way that was both heartfelt and hands-on. That’s how Accessorize for a Cause was born: a way to give back and also give something in return. Each bracelet was a small token of appreciation, made by us, for a cause we believed in.
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We were so far away from the kids affected by the horrific tragedy of October 7th but at the same time these children felt like our brothers and sisters. This could have been us. How do we help in a way that feels personal, that could truly communicate how much we care.
We became very cognizant of all of the different ongoing fundraising efforts to this cause but we wanted to do something different. We wanted to connect with the teens affected in a more personal way. We spent hours researching local nonprofits and felt compelled to reach out to the Israeli Children’s fund after reading their mission. We wanted to support an organization that was focused on helping children who lost one or both parents in the attack by providing them with emotional and financial stability for immediate needs and long term growth.
We decided that not only would we raise money to help support these efforts BUT the personal piece was going to be to connect our donors to the children by making popular bracelets for all involved. If you donated, we made you a bracelet AND a bracelet for a child in your honor.
From there we learned how to make the bracelets, and worked on the branding and packaging of each handmade bracelet. We both recruited other Keep it Kind members to pitch in. Emily’s grandmother taught us how to make the bracelets and joined us in the assembly line. We promoted the campaign through community outreach and tracked donations and bracelet orders with a Google Sheet.
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This project was more than a fundraiser, it was a full scale, hands-on production and act of service. We had Keep it Kind team members assisting in this project- it was all hands on deck.
We received a donation from a family in our community who was touched by what we were doing and bought all of the beads for the bracelets for us. We designed and assembled each bracelet by hand, created a tracking system, so we made sure every single donor and Israeli child received one of the beautiful bracelets.
We wrote individual thank-you notes and coordinated delivery to homes. We split up and went house to house delivering bracelets to a total of 50 donors. Every donation was met with something tangible, and every gift helped build connection around a shared mission of hope and healing.
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The funds raised from over 100 bracelets were sent to the Israeli Children’s Fund, which ensured they were distributed directly to families most in need. While the numbers may be small compared to larger organizations, our project was personal—and powerful. We reached 50 donors, crafted over 100 bracelets, and reminded people that when it comes to giving, thoughtfulness matters just as much as scale.
The Israeli Children’s Fund reached out through an email after receiving our monetary donation and bracelets. They wrote a heartfelt thank you note, sent us pictures of the children who received bracelets and provided us with details as to how the monetary donation will be spent. This was a deeply personal project for the both of us and we are proud of what we accomplished.
