Spreading Joy and Style One Bracelet at a Time
Ruth Henderson Creates Bracelets to Sell and Gift
In the House C residence at Helen Kaplan Center Intermediate Care Facility (ICF), it is becoming a trend to wear colorful beaded bracelets customized with an array of bead designs and letters spelling out names and positive words like “joy.”
The bracelets are designed by Ruth (Ruthie) Henderson, who receives residential support at Helen Kaplan Center.
Twice a week, Ruth sits in the common area and brings out her large collection of beads and elastic strings organized neatly in containers to make her bracelets while listening to the television play and enjoying the company of her housemates. On Monday, April 1, Ruth was focusing on making red-beaded bracelets. Her other favorite colors are blue and yellow.
Besides making customized bracelets for birthdays, Ruth often sells her bracelets to housemates and staff to reinvest into her business. She enjoys shopping for the beads, in particular beads with letters and fun colors from the local dollar store. Recently, Qualified Intellectual Disability Professional (QIDP) Austin Reinstein went with Ruth to the dollar store so that she could buy new beads with the money she earned.
“Having Ruth’s bracelets has enhanced celebrations for both staff and housemates,” Austin said. “Many people are happy to have something made by a friend, and Ruth takes pride in her work.”
Enjoying the satisfaction and benefits of earning money, Ruth has expressed interest in finding a job. To help get her started, staff have enlisted Ruth’s assistance around the ICF so that she can explore the type of work she might like to pursue.
Outside of bracelet making, Ruth, who’s lived at Helen Kaplan Center since October 2022, has many talents and interests. To relax and unwind, Ruth enjoys using the tablet she received for her birthday to listen to music, watch videos and play games, including Solitaire.