StringsforaCURE: Making Jewelry that MATTERS
Jewelry designer Elisa Guida has been on a journey. Newly married, her path suddenly shifted 16 years ago with a breast cancer diagnosis. Stepping inside the life of a cancer patient, and with a recurrence 6 years ago, Elisa became very aware of what was needed and what was very, very helpful. Finding inspiration in the midst of a Jon Bon Jovi concert 3 years ago, Elisa discovered a beautifully creative way to help men and women who are walking that same path. StringsforaCURE is a nonprofit foundation that helps with the day to day needs of cancer patients…gas, groceries and pharmacy needs, by designing jewelry from the guitar strings of famous musicians such as Joe Bonamassa, Carlos Santana and Buddy Guy. Elisa spoke with American Blues News about the rewards of helping others and what it’s like to give a gift “with strings attached.”
Tell us your journey…
I’ve been a custom jewelry designer for 35 years here in Erie, PA- after college I started my own business in 1976. I was diagnosed at the age of 40-I had just gotten married for the first time and 9 months later got diagnosed with breast cancer. Because I was so easily accessible here at my store, a lot of ladies would come in and talk to me-the older generation-because they didn’t like to talk about it but they would talk to me about it. So I was always very involved with the breast cancer community here.
Six years ago I had a recurrence. I knew if my cancer came back I would have to have a mastectomy. I had no lump either time so I knew that was another rare part of my disease. About three years after that I was commissioned, through my store, to make a guitar string bracelet. I didn’t know what that was because I was a gold and diamonds jeweler. It was for a girl who was dating a musician. The following March, which was then 2008, I was at a Jon Bon Jovi concert journaling how I should be getting famous musicians to donate their used guitar strings and that I should make jewelry and help people with cancer. That’s how the idea for StringsforaCURE was born.
Somebody who knew me was a fan of Joe Bonamassa, and actually Joe was the first musician to donate his strings in 2008-but I really didn’t do anything with them until about 2010 because at the time I was actually making jewelry and taking out a portion to get the Foundation going. In 2010 StringsforaCURE became a non-profit. Originally we were just helping breast cancer patients, but we were doing so good that we did open it up to other cancers. We started giving out $50 gift cards and then $75 gift cards but because the foundation is doing so well it is now $100 cards for gas, groceries or pharmacy gift cards. We have comfort baskets that stay local, but the gift cards go across the United States. I also have a girl who teaches yoga who will go to the cancer patients house and will give free sessions. As far as the jewelry-I have shipped it all over the world – it kind of exploded. A lot of Blues musicians are on board.
When I saw who won the British Blues Awards…Matt Schofield, Joe Bonamassa, Oli Brown and Best Young Artist, Chantel McGregor…they have all donated to my foundation. I let them (the customer) pick designs that I have already made and use the strings from the musician that they want. I have been taking custom orders- but from the middle of October until after the first of the year I will stop taking custom orders- during that time people can purchase inventory because I have a lot of orders!
So it has been really well received!
It has been very well received and just in the last few months the Foundation has given out over $3000. The difference with us is that I am a survivor. There are a lot of Foundations that are for research but ours is for helping the cancer patient and it makes a difference. Some of them know they are getting the gift card and some of them don’t – there is an application process but somebody can nominate them to get the gift card and if they nominate them then it’s a surprise. Locally, we are sent patients from two cancer centers so it has kind of snowballed.
And you are the only one making the jewelry?
I am the only one making the jewelry – I do have a 9 member Board that I have had for a year now and we are going for the 501(c) 3 status which was a 65 page application that myself and my treasurer put together. But, yes, I am the only one making the jewelry now.
So the response from the musicians has been very good too.
Yes.
Is there anyone you are hoping to get?
Yes! Clapton! McCartney! There’s a bunch that I would like to get. Joe Bonamassa’s fans-as soon as I make something with his strings- they are sold.
Are you able to access these musicians?
Well, what has happened is that people from across the United States –the fans- are the ones who are contacting the musicians. There is a certificate of authenticity form on my website that can be printed out and signed.
Do you have any interesting stories about the artists?
When all this happened in 2008, a nun who helps the homeless in Philadelphia, Sister Mary Scullion, found out about me and sent me an email saying that she was going to try to get me Jon Bon Jovi’s strings because he is one of the people who funds her project. Well, nothing happened until this past January when I got a phone call from a girl who was getting me in touch with Jon Bon Jovi’s Executive Director because I was going to get his strings-I didn’t know if it was going to be one string or a set of strings. The day the package arrived I couldn’t even open it. So I put it in the safe and I called the girl who had the connection and I opened it that night while we were on the phone and, thank goodness, I got 6 strings. That, so far, for me, was the most exciting. But I also did get Carlos Santana strings- there was a fellow musician from California whose mother was going through breast cancer treatment-he had heard about me before I became the nonprofit – so he emailed me and asked me if I would like Carlos Santana’s’ strings! And I was like “ah, YES!” So those are two pretty neat stories. And actually, with Joe Bonamassa, he has a famous ’59 Les Paul guitar –I believe he’s the second owner of the guitar- and I believe I have the first set of strings that he took off of it after he purchased it. So there have been some neat stories regarding the strings.
What a fun journey in that sense!
It was funny with Jon Bon Jovi’s strings- I put them in the safe and it took me a month before I would even work on them! Then I thought “they’re guitar strings-not gold!” And then I was fine.
So you can use one string or more than one…
I get a lot of pieces. If I make a bracelet, it takes one string, so I don’t make too many bracelets with the famous strings. A lot of my designs have parts of the string. If you notice the breast cancer ribbon that I do – I used to solder the middle of the ribbon- but now I use the ferrule which is at the very end of the guitar string for the middle of the ribbon. I did sell a Carlos Santana bracelet for $550 in February. Jonny Lang just donated his strings. Each piece of jewelry comes with a certificate of authenticity.
In terms of your own self and your own journey- has doing this artwork helped you through in any way?
When I first got diagnosed I started a garden which I started as therapy. This journey that is now happening with StringsforaCURE is very rewarding. I was always meeting with people and giving them suggestions for books to read, I was never giving them anything monetary. The letters I have been getting from the people whom the Foundation is helping are incredible. And actually that is the better part of this whole thing-knowing what I am doing for the people who are going through this-because I know what it is like. It is extremely fulfilling. It’s neat getting the artist but now that I am seeing what is happening for the people that I am helping- that is very rewarding.
It’s become the bigger piece of it…
Yes, much bigger…
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Read the testimonials from the cancer patients and the feedback from people who have bought Elisa’s jewelry AND check out the jewelry made from the strings of Todd Rundgren, Devon Allman, Ruthie Foster, Oli Brown, Chrissie Hynde, Paul Rodgers and many more at www.stringsforacure.com.
