Loni Nannini Special to the Arizona Daily Star via Tucson.com

Published in Tucson.com on Oct 16, 2023

Cannon Molthan holds his Beads of Courage. The beads help bear witness to his story of survival.

Tucsonans can raise a glass in support of kids battling chronic and serious illnesses during Cocktails for Courage on Thursday, Oct. 19, at Originate Natural Building Materials.

A fundraiser for the nonprofit Beads of Courage, the event celebrates a dual-20th anniversary for BOC’s arts-in-medicine programs and for Originate, a local and regional resource for environmentally-friendly building materials and architectural salvage.

“I felt like it was synchronous. We are both turning 20 and at Originate we organized 20 Days of Giving, which I thought was a good way to highlight other businesses and nonprofits doing great things while giving back to the community that I love,” said Natasha Winnik, owner of Originate.

The 20 Days of Giving will continue through Saturday, Oct. 28. It features a range of in-kind and fundraising events such as a hygiene drive for Primavera Foundation; a hemp-building demonstration; and in-kind donations to attain flooring and paint for I Am You 360, which provides housing and support for at-risk young adults in an effort disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline. Donations for many of the causes will be accepted throughout the end of the year.

Winnik wants to support organizations that she finds inspiring. Those include Beads of Courage, which was founded by her long-time friend, Jean Gribbon. Gribbon is on a mission to help children and youth record, tell, and own their stories of survival through the art form of beads. The beads, many of which are custom-made, are given to honor their courage during medical procedures and treatments.

“Jean has taken a painful process and created beauty within it. She is bringing the art of beads to children and their families during a challenging time. She is bringing light to something that is very hard and can be very dark,” said Winnik.

Attendees at Cocktails for Courage can experience that light for themselves: They have the opportunity to create a 20th-anniversary strand with unique beads made by local artists such as Petra Juarez, Bronwen Heilman, and Everett Grondin Sr.

The evening, which runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at 948 N. Main Ave., will also feature food, a custom cocktail, and live music. Guests will enjoy original cocktails by Heritage Distilling Company from Gig Harbor, WA, a gorgeous display of food to enjoy from Humble Board, and live music from three talented Tucson musicians of the SynJoCo Trio. The group plays jazz as interpreted through the prism of traditional roots music. Incorporating traditional folk, country, and blues into the jazz songbook.

SynJoCo Trio featuring:

• Syndenn Sweet- Bass

• Joe Miller- Drums

• Cody Hudman- Guitar

Tickets are $50 per person, and you must be 21 or older to attend. For tickets or more information, visit: https://beadsofcourage.org/cocktails-for-courage/