This year, we had new people participate in this project. With more people participating, we made more bracelets. In order to get more people to participate in this project next year, I went to Devonshire Pals to teach people to make bracelets. The host families made lanyards. As one of the hosts, I didn't know I was supposed to make lanyards. However, I managed to make 11 lanyards last minute. Before sending the bracelets and lanyards to Operation Gratitude, the host families would work together to count the number of bracelets and lanyards. The host families also have to check to see if they need to fix some of the bracelets. In order to improve everyone's experiences in participating in this project, the hosts plan to show people how to properly burn their strings. The paracord bracelet project had some business aspect, since the hosts needed to record the dates that people came over to pick up strings, the number of strings each person requested, and the amount and method each person paid their money. Unlike the Operation Gratitude event last year, this year, we stayed in Operation Gratitude to stuff bears, and we also toured the warehouse.
-Karen Yang
