Bracelets' proceeds will help disabled children

A page from the book "Our Friend Mikayla," which was written and illustrated by Mikayla Resh's third-grade classmates. The book can be checked out at Westlake Library.

The clover pack of Incluzion Bandz contains 11 clovers and one ladybug.

Unless you've been holed up at home the past year, you've likely seen shaped silicone bracelets for sale at grocery, convenience and gift stores. The bracelets look like regular rubber bands when worn, although they might have kinks. When taken off, they return to their original shape, be it an animal, princess or Marvel character.

The last place you might expect to see them is where you check out books, but there's something special about the ones sold at Westlake Library, said Branch Manager Marilyn Amerson. They're a fundraiser for Mikayla's Voice, a foundation that advocates for the inclusion of disabled children in all facets of society.

Mikayla's Voice (Voice of Inclusion for Children Everywhere) is named for Mikayla Resh, granddaughter of Moneta residents Mickey and Becky Brown. The couple made a sizable donation to the library in honor of Mikayla. Last month, the couple approached Amerson about selling the bands, called Incluzion Bandz, at the front desk.

"We have sort of a personal reason for carrying those here at the library," said Amerson, who wears the bands on her wrist. "It really does fit rather well into the library philosophy ... that we believe all people should be included."

The bands are sold in packs of 12 for $4. One pack features ladybugs, the mascot of Mikayla's Voice, said Kimberly Resh, Mikayla's mother and Pennsylvania resident.

"Eight or nine are red," said Resh. "Then there's a couple different colors and they glow in the dark because it's our differences that make us shine."

A second pack contains 11 clovers and one ladybug. Although all the clovers are green, each pack contains a few four-leaf clovers, which also glow in the dark.

Resh said she talks to children about how, while it's easy to locate the ladybug among the clovers, you have to look to find the four-leaf clovers. Those are representative of disabilities such as autism or deafness, which aren't always easily visible.

The bands have been popular and currently are only sold in Pennsylvania and at Smith Mountain Lake, although Resh said she hopes to begin selling them online as well.

Resh said she began the foundation because she's seen how much of an impact inclusion has made on her daughter's life. Mikayla, 15, was born with brain damage. She has a variety of disabilities, including spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, mental retardation, a seizure disorder, legal blindness and functioning deafness.

"When I went to school, the children with any sort of special need were educated in a different classroom," said Resh.

She set out to provide Mikayla with a different experience. Since preschool, she has been educated in a regular classroom.

"I never would have pictured her life now to be as full as it is," said Resh. "It's because of the inclusion."

While in third grade, her class was tasked with writing their autobiographies. Because Mikayla couldn't write her own, her classmates wrote and illustrated it for her. The result is "Our Friend Mikayla," which is available for check-out at Westlake Library.

Resh said she hopes to have the book included in every elementary school library. She also said she hopes to inspire other children to write books about their disabled friends, creating an extensive "Our Friend" series.

Resh said the Incluzion Bandz fundraiser will be used to develop projects for children by children to encourage them to get to know and include the disabled children in their community.

For more information about Mikayla's Voice, visit www.mikaylasvoice.org.