Column: Creating a personal project through Perler beads

During the pandemic, I had a lot of free time, and I wanted to create a project that would allow me to use my own talents and interests to benefit a good cause. I created a personal project that utilized Perler beads, which allowed me to fundraise money to donate to kids who have cancer.

As a child, I was always very interested in different types of crafts. One of the crafts that have stuck with me throughout my life is Perler beads. Perler beads allow me to create art pieces by ironing tiny different colored beads together. I put plastic beads on a pegboard to create a design and then apply hot iron heat to melt them together.

I started Perler beads when I was in second grade when my parents bought me a set of beads. At first, I looked up designs online and copied them, such as characters from shows or games and cute food. Later, I was able to create my own designs with a range of 5 to 200 beads per design by manipulating my old Perler bead creations.

During quarantine, my creative hobby of Perler beads became a way to help others. I created a personal fundraising project and informed friends and family about my fundraising efforts. Using my Perler beads, I would create a set of four coasters, which were personalized with initials or patterns for each person, and would send them to friends and families. They would send their donations to the fundraiser through Venmo or Zelle.

After sending out 15 sets of coasters, I was able to fundraise $400 to donate to the City of Hope National Medical Center to help kids who have cancer.

With this, I encourage everyone to use their own hobbies, such as knitting personalized scarfs or creating jewelry, to create a personal project that can benefit a good cause. Since it is a hobby, it can be more enjoyable to create a personal project that can help others. Even if we are stuck at home due to a pandemic, we can all make a positive difference in the world.