It started out as a song...
Musician Dennis Warner was driving home to Minnesota from a concert in Illinois when he visualized a beaded necklace, where every bead was a different size, shape and color but all held together by one string. "We're all different sizes, shapes and colors" he thought.

Within a couple of hours, a song was born that would change the lives of countless individuals, including his own. As he began to perform this song in concert, adults would comment about the terrific message and how they wanted a copy of the yet unrecorded song to play for their kids or grandkids.

Then It Became A Book...
Within a few months, plans developed to make the already visually worded song into a children's picture book. Publishers were contacted and rejection letters mounted. Dennis Warner was a successful musician, but had no track record as an "author". Believing heavily in the project, it was decided that "Beads On One String" would be self-financed.

Artist Alison Love Unzelman was brought on board to illustrate this important project. With the help of a local printing company, the first issue of "Beads on One String" rolled off the presses in June 2004.

"The Beads On One String Project" Is Born...
Within a few weeks, the Director of Education, Pat Heine, called Dennis into her office at St. Cloud State University to help write a "Curriculum Connection" for elementary schools. She rightly believed that "Beads On One String" was the perfect vehicle to bring anti-bullying education into the elementary schools.

Gaining the nickname, "The Beads on One String Project", the curriculum utilizes all teachers and staff, including the school Principal. Besides Anti-Bullying, the "Project" has grown to involve other school issues including Diversity, Disability and Character Education.

The success of the project is tied to the concert and powerful performance by Dennis Warner... (Read more about "The Beads On One String Project")