Middleboro teenager uses creativity to care for the community
Shyanne Dunbar, 14, uses her keen eye and quick fingers to weave a bracelet for her fundraising business that supports community members in need and area charities. Photos by Sam Tucker
Shyanne's colorful designs are on display.
She has been selling her rubber-band bracelets at Freitas Liquors in downtown Middleboro since 2024.
She sells her bracelets for $6 each, and half of the proceeds benefit a charity or cause Shyanne selects.
Although sometimes it feels like her fingers are being "suffocated", Shyanne said she's gotten used to weaving the rubber-band bracelet creations.
From left: employee Nick Freitas, Shyanne and owner of the store Tony Freitas pose at the liquor store. Tony Freitas said employees and customers alike have always been happy to support Shyanne's work.
Shyanne Dunbar, 14, uses her keen eye and quick fingers to weave a bracelet for her fundraising business that supports community members in need and area charities. Photos by Sam Tucker
Shyanne's colorful designs are on display.
She has been selling her rubber-band bracelets at Freitas Liquors in downtown Middleboro since 2024.
She sells her bracelets for $6 each, and half of the proceeds benefit a charity or cause Shyanne selects.
Although sometimes it feels like her fingers are being "suffocated", Shyanne said she's gotten used to weaving the rubber-band bracelet creations.
From left: employee Nick Freitas, Shyanne and owner of the store Tony Freitas pose at the liquor store. Tony Freitas said employees and customers alike have always been happy to support Shyanne's work.
MIDDLEBORO — Bracelet by bracelet, a Middleboro teenager shows support for her community.
Shyanne Dunbar, 13, sells her colorful, handmade bracelets to benefit a range of neighbors and charities in town. From supporting people diagnosed with cancer to gifting first responders with treats of appreciation, she commits her creativity to caring for others.
Shyanne always picks a different charity to support.
She sells the bracelets for $6, and half of her proceeds go to the charity or group she selects. Although she doesn’t make much of a profit, she said she enjoys helping others while learning about business.
Shyanne weaves her rubber “rainbow-loom” bracelets with different colors and charms based on the season and holiday. Recently, she made Patriots themed bracelets for the Super Bowl, and red and pink designs for Valentines Day.
Every week, she makes various bracelets to be sold at Fretias Liquors in downtown Middleboro. She either uses a small tool or her fingers to weave rubber bands over each other and create a link of soft pastels, vibrant tones and even bracelets that glow-in-the-dark.
She learned to weave bracelets in fifth grade, so she said they are “not that tricky” to make these days, and much of the work is muscle memory.
Even for more complex designs, when she said she feels like she is “literally suffocating” her fingers, she weaves with confidence.
“By now, they’re used to it,” she said.
She will sometimes weave bracelets with her friends and classmates from John T. Nichols Middle School.
“I'll bring a bunch and we'll just make these to crank them out,” Shyanne said, who is in seventh grade. “In one batch I had a bunch of friends, and we had like three kids working on them.”
Shyanne has been selling her caring creations at Freitas Liquors since 2024. In that time, she has raised more than $1,000 for the myriad of causes she supports, her mother Rachael Dunbar said.
In the past, she has raised funds to buy Christmas presents for families in need at the Lakeville Mom’s Club as well as gifts for children undergoing cancer treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
She has also given gift cards from Middleboro restaurants to community members undergoing cancer treatment.
She found out the favorite restaurants of her school nurse, an employee at Freitas Liquors and a neighboring family whose family member recently passed away from cancer.
She gave each of them a $150 gift certificate. She said seeing the smiles on peoples’ faces brings her joy.
“It just feels good,” she said.
Her current “hometown hero” fundraiser will use funds to donate baked-goods and treats to Middleboro first responders and members of the Gas and Electric Department.
Dunbar said her daughter’s bracelet business pursuits started from an interest in working a job, but at 13, the job market can be difficult.
“She wants a job, but she's too young,” Dunbar said, “She wants to be able to help buy the things she wants to really understand the lesson of what a dollar is.”
Shyanne struggles with learning challenges and anxiety, Dunbar said, and weaving bracelets has helped her both with “coming out of her shell” and maintaining focus while reading and studying.
“This has helped her with focusing and multitasking, which is something that she wouldn't have been able to do a couple years ago,” Dunbar said.
Shyanne’s bracelets can be bought at Freitas Liquors, and will also be selling bracelets for cancer-awareness at the Kingston Sip and Stroll on March 14.
Dunbar said Shyanne always has fresh designs in the pipeline for customers to purchase.
“She's a quite driven young lady,” Dunbar said. “She's just always wanted to give back to her community,”
