Nonprofit to String Record Necklace

(Aug. 18) - A Pennsylvania-based art therapy organization is seeking to expand nationwide by creating the world's longest beaded necklace.

Maryann Corey and her team of staff and volunteers at Portable Playhouse Inc. began crafting the strip of jewelry intended to exceed 355-feet in length on July 30 with an eye towards a Dec. 31 completion date.

She has been in contact with the Guinness Book of World Records which confirmed that a necklace strand measuring more than 2 miles would pass the previous mark.

For just a buck a bead, individuals and businesses can add to the strand. They can even buy personalized beads. So far, the organization has raised $1,612.

All proceeds will benefit the Playhouse, a nonprofit organization that offers bedside beaded art therapy to adult female cancer patients as well as children suffering from a variety of severe ailments.

Playhouse teaches participants to create their own custom silver, crystal and glass necklaces, earrings, bracelets, anklets and key chains. Those who are physically able build their own creations while those who can't will select the color, design and pattern of their pieces.

Playhouse staffers go from bed to bed in hospital wings bringing boxes full of beads and jewelry materials.

Corey, who founded the organization in 2001 with her sister Patty McGeary, believes the one-on-one attention relaxes tension and provides companionship for bedridden patients who might go without visitors for long stretches of the day.

Corey said the creative aspect helps build coping skills, especially in children: "When your body is relaxed, it helps you heal better. It's simple, there's no smelly goo."

Volunteers visit several hospitals scattered throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York. Corey herself drives 500 miles a week visiting hospitals and cancer care facilities.

Patients and their families laud the dedication and care of Corey and her volunteers.

Lizette Salazar's 15-year-old daughter, Amanda, is battling sickle cell anemia at the Hackensack Medical Center in New Jersey. She said that Portable Playhouse has had an amazing, calming effect on her daughter, who recently underwent a bone marrow transplant and will be out of school until November.

"Maryann [Corey] does bring a sense of joy," said Salazar. "For parents, it's even better when you see your child smiling."

Although Salazar describes herself as a "hardcore scrapbooker" and her family as "crafty," she said Amanda had never shown any interest in bead work before meeting Corey. She's now jumped into the hobby with a passion, making earrings, rings and other jewelry from her hospital bed.

Her most special piece is a bracelet with an angel charm, according to her mother. She's planning to help build the record necklace with help from her high school friends.

Corey said idea of creating the longest beaded necklace came to her in the middle of the night and she's been working on it ever since.

A New York bead company that wishes to remain anonymous has donated the materials for the project and participating volunteers and beaders are handling the work in 8-foot fragments.

When they're done, a Guinness official will measure it to see if it meets the record 355-foot mark. Corey hopes the necklace will meet the target -- and maybe be even longer.

Portable Playhouse was intended to be an afterschool arts program in Boston. However, Corey and McGeary had trouble securing a location so they decided to bring their distinct bead therapy to young surgery patients in the playroom at Massachusetts General Hospital. Their "ah-ha" moment came when they was told there were other children who would like to participate but were too embarrassed.

"I knew I wanted to go room to room at that point," said Corey. "It was just perfect. If a child can't get down to the playroom they can still be entertained."

Over the last eight years, the charitable organization relocated to the Mid-Atlantic region and Playhouse has a client list of almost a dozen hospitals and outpatient cancer centers and worked with more than 37,000 patients. Corey hopes funds from the necklace will allow the group to expand into approximately 40 hospitals and cancer centers across the country that have requested Playhouse services.

To find out more about the project or to get involved, visit longestbeadednecklace.com.