Headbands of Hope, LLC is an
organization
An organization or organisation (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), see spelling differences), is an legal entity, entity—such as ...
founded by Jessica Ekstrom who wanted to make a difference in the lives of children battling cancer. For every item sold, a headband is donated to a child battling cancer. Since launching in 2012, Headbands of Hope has donated over 285,000 headbands to every hospital across the United States and in thirteen countries in addition, in more recent times she's donated around 650,000 headbands to children with illnesses globally. Headbands of Hope is carried in thousands of stores across the world. They've been featured on the TODAY Show, Good Morning America, Vanity Fair, Seventeen Magazine, and even supported by celebrities like Lea Michele, Lauren Conrad, Kelsea Ballerini, Lili Reinhart and more.
Headbands of Hope is a
for-profit organization.
History
Headbands of Hope was envisioned by Ekstrom after an internship at the
Make-A-Wish Foundation in 2011.
Noticing that many girls who received treatment preferred wearing headbands instead of wigs, Ekstrom began to work distributing headbands to them.
The organization launched in April 2012.
By January 31, 2013, the organization had donated more than 3,000 headbands.
The style of delivery, sending the headbands to hospitals rather than individual patients, was taken from
TOMS Shoes, a supporter of the organization.
Other products include shirts and bumper stickers.
Production
The headbands, made in a variety of shapes and sizes, are mostly adjustable. They are tagged and branded in their warehouse in Cornelius, North Carolina.
Ekstrom chose the company with help from the College of Design and the College of Textiles at
North Carolina State University, where she graduated.
Styles are determined by Ekstrom and her team of designers, who look at popular trends .
Outside the United States, production has extended to
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
and is distribution is planned to expand in
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
in 2014.
Marketing
The headbands are marketed by representatives on college campuses. By January 2013, there were over 20 representatives
The "Hope Club," allows cancer patients who have received headbands to post photos and biographies.
The enterprise has received recognition from both
NBC's Today Show and
Fitness Magazine
''Fitness'' is a United States-based women's magazine, focusing on health, exercise, and nutrition. It is owned and published by the Dotdash Meredith. The editor-in-chief of ''Fitness'' is Betty Wong.
History
''Fitness'' was launched in 1992, ...
.
Recently, the organization has started marketing more general headwear through Headwear of Hope, donating headwear to young boys undergoing cancer treatment.
Like the parent organization, along with each item it donates $1 to the St. Baldrick's Foundation .
A recent startup 2017 in
Providence,
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...
called ''Impact Everything'' uses the slogan "Every Purchase has a Purpose", The company only sells items that have some form of a donation to a cause, seeks wholesalers that hire "marginalized people", and currently contributes to 12 different causes. Wholesale companies include "Headband of Hope" and for every headband purchased "Impact Everything" donates a headband directly to a child with cancer at
Hasbro Children's Hospital.
Providence Journal
Retrieved 2017-03-27
References
{{reflist
External links
www.headbandsofhope.org Official Site
Companies based in Raleigh, North Carolina
Fashion accessory companies
Cancer awareness