Paulena Gidda is a 26-year police Sergeant with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Born and raised in Squamish, British Columbia, her parents immigrated almost 55 years ago to Squamish and still reside there today as prominent community members. Both of her parents are successful entrepreneurs and instilled a strong sense of community and giving back at a young age.
Her father continues to volunteer at multiple organizations in the region. He instilled a sense of philanthropy that became a significant focus of her business, Bullets n Beads jewelry.
Throughout her policing career, Paulena has worked in various units from General Duty Patrol, Professional Standards, General Investigation, and Organized Crime. The section that had the most impact on Paulena was investigating crimes against vulnerable children in the Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Unit. While it could be rewarding at times, the work was extremely draining on a mental level. It took a toll on her both personally and professionally.
Bullets n Beads was created out of a necessity to deal with the PTSD that comes with policing. After being involved in a motor vehicle accident that left her with substantial physical injuries, Paulena could not utilize her immediate stress relief of working out at the gym. Multiple family members are involved in serving the public, including her father and husband, as either military or first responders. While recuperating from the injuries, her PTSD surfaced. To deal with her symptoms, she started to make jewelry to focus her mind. From that, Bullets n Beads jewelry was born to assist other veterans struggling.
Paulena utilizes real previously fired bullet casings to create unique, one-of-a-kind handcrafted pieces of wearable art jewelry. Partial proceeds of sales are donated to veteran organizations or causes near and dear to her heart. She’s an active supporter of Cancer fundraisers, fire and flood relief, community organizations, and at-risk youth.
Two years ago, her company was fortunate enough to participate in the Emmy’s Gifting Suite in Los Angeles. This gained Bullets and Beads international exposure and led to her and the company being featured in Forbes magazine and the Today in LA show. That exposure and the relationships formed at the Emmys led to Bullets n Beads being asked to create the official bracelet for the movie AMERICAN SICARIO featuring Danny Trejo and a second official bracelet for a soon to be released Hollywood film starring Russell Peters. Locally, you can spot her jewelry on several award- winning BC Country music artists. Karen Lee Batten has supported her mission and charitable work since the company’s launch.
Paulena is proud that Bullets n Beads has become a vital member of her business community, supporting other veterans and people in need.
