A Trend With A Purpose

Nowdays many people like to wear colorful wristbands. Everyone from athletes and politicians to celebrities and students troughout the world are wearing them. These bracelets are made of silicone or rubber so they comfortable to wear. They are quite thick-around 0.8 inches, and wide-around 0.5 inches. They come in various eye-catching colors such as yellow,pink,blue,green. Some of them even glow in the dark. They are available in a large range of size: 8 inches for youths and adults and 4 inches for children. The price range between $1.00 to $5.00 each. What makes the unique is that they are embossed with special message. Do you know my these fashion accesories of modern day have become a trend? Colorful wristbands, which are not only fashionable but also socially responsible, are the symbols of social awarness.

Lance Amstrong

Lance Amstrong is a world-renowned cyclist whose personal battle against cancer channel energy, knowladge, inspiration and strength to the millions of peple living with cancer. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1996 when he was 25 years old but he survived and has won the Tour de France seven times. His doctor explained that the treatment he would recieve had strong side effects so that he would basically need to start from scratch. Not oly would cycling be history, but he would also have to learn to walk again. Sharing his experience with cancer was, and still is, an important from of support for him. He realized that millions of others living with cancer feel the same. The power in the fight against cancer lies in the ability to unite through common experiences and shared hope. Lance believe that when people share their stories, they will not feel alone in the fight. It helps people to get emotional support. Days event by and during his struggle, Lance through of a way to give emotional and financial support to the sufferers of cancer. In 1997, the Lance Amstorng Foundation created the first awarness bracelets, and got Nike to produce it. The yellow silicone Livestrong brecelets, was colored to match Lance Amstrong's cycling jersey, yellow. The foundation got people to donate their money to assist cancer survivors with life after a cancer diagnosis, to raise funds for its educational program, and to promote awarness of its causes in general. In February 2005, Oprah Winfrey featured the yellow Livestrong on her talk show. Her participants got 32 million people to buy them. Up to now, 47 millions of Livestrong brecelets have been sold.

Livestrong brecelets led to the creations of many similar bracelets with different purpose. Some of them still  carry the original idea of promoting awarness or raising funds. They Promote everything from adoption to worker safety. each colored band represents a particular disease or sociental concern ; black and white for anti racism, red for AIDS awarness, pink for breast cancer, green for saving rainforest, blue and white for Tsunami relief, et cetera. Being the perfect and inexpensive way to promote names and products, some wristbands veer from the original idea. They are embossed with brands like Giordano, Clear and other products. They are also bracelets with interesting but frivolous message like true love, flower, sharing, rockets, get smart and money more. In Indonesia, we can even find colorful bracelets sold at stalls for only Rp.1000 each.

However, in choosing to wear the wristbands, we are expressing a unique way of helping other. In short, set a trend with a purpose. This raised awarness of issue can lead to increase research into cures for disease and better funding of programs designed to help those in need. The hope that people will be reminded of those issuse when they see the bracelets worn. Charitable organizations can also benefit directly from sales of the awarness bracelets. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of certain bracelets goes directly to the corresponding charitable organization.