Alexandra Chiles was a member of our neighborhood family. A beautiful girl with sparkling blue eyes and a winsome smile, Alex was diagnosed with leukemia as a young teen. As she battled the disease over many years, much of her time was spent in ICU. To combat boredom, anger, pain and frustration, Alex requested crafting materials. Day after day, she beaded: bracelets, lanyards, anything small and pretty. Then she sent them out to other kids in the hospital - kids she had never met. Friends and strangers loved Alex.

When Alex died, her mother determined to find a way to continue to give the gift of Alex's generosity and hope. Many friends, including myself, offered to help to assemble the small beading kits and to deliver them to our local children's hospital. To work with Anita is to catch her vision and to be astonished by her tireless efforts to satisfy the requests for ACF craft kits. I wish I could do even more.