A trip to Dylan’s Candy Bar can be sweet. But when the financial professionals of Heritage Planning Partners brought their kids to the gumball tables, peppermint stools and lollipop chandeliers, the real treat was found in unwrapping inspiring beads. One by one the kids and their parents strung colorful beads and created bracelets to be shared with pediatric cancer patients through the Beads of Courage arts-in-medicine program.

“A core value of our firm is to practice the golden rule of doing what is in the best interest of our clients, our families and our communities,” said Adam Waitzman, CLU^®, a founding member of the Chicago-based financial planning firm.  “While we can celebrate each other, we can also provide strength and inspiration for others.”

Northwestern Mutual, which launched its national childhood cancer philanthropic initiative in 2012, recently announced a partnership with Beads for Courage. Through the Beads of Courage Program, children and teens receive colorful beads that visually commemorate treatment and procedure milestones they overcome while receiving treatment for cancer. The Beads of Courage Program is a standard of excellence in over 150 children's hospitals in the U.S., helping children record, tell and own their stories of courage. It is estimated that over 5,000 children and teens coping with cancer will receive Beads of Courage annually during their treatment journey thanks to Northwestern Mutual

“Through this activity, we hope that we teach our kids the importance of empathy and letting other children know they are being thought of and that no one fights alone when facing childhood cancer,” Waitzman added.