Headbands of Hope
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Founded | April 2012 |
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Founder | Jessica Ekstrom, CEO |
Location | |
Area served | United States |
Website | www.headbandsofhope.org |
Headbands of Hope LLC is an organization founded by Jessica Ekstrom that sells headbands to raise money to support cancer research for children.[1] For every headband sold, it donates $1 to the St. Baldrick's Foundation and one headband to the Four Diamonds Fund. Headbands of Hope is a for-profit organization.[2] The headbands are delivered through St. Baldrick's, which send the headbands to hospitals for distribution to childre with cancer.; more than 10,000 have ben distributed by 2014. .[3]
History
Headbands of Hope was envisioned by Ekstrom after an internship at the Make-A-Wish Foundation in 2011.[1] Noticing that many girls who received treatment preferred wearing headbands instead of wigs, Ekstrom began to work distributing headbands to them.[1] The organization launched in April 2012.[1] By January 31, 2013, the organization had donated more than 3,000 headbands.[4] The style of delivery, sending the headbands to hospitals rather than individual patients, was taken from TOMS Shoes, a supporter of the organization.[4] Other products include shirts and bumper stickers.[4]
Production
The headbands, made in a variety of shapes and sizes, are made by a company in Bismarck, North Dakota.[5] Ekstrom chose the company with help from the College of Design and the College of Textiles at North Carolina State University, where she graduated.[4] Styles are determined by Ekstrom and her team of designers, who look at popular trends .[5]
Outside the United States, production has extended to Canada and is distribution is planned to expand in Peru in2014.[6]
Marketing
The headbands are marketed by representatives on college campuses. By January 2013, there were over 20 representatives [4][6] The "Hope Club," allows cancer patients who have received headbands to post photos and biographies.[7] The enterprise has received recognition from both NBC's Today Show and Fitness Magazine.[4]
Recently, the organization has started marketing more general headwear through Headwear of Hope, donating headwear to young boys undergoing cancer treatment.[2] Like the parent organization, along with each item it donates $1 to the St. Baldrick's Foundation .[2]
A recent startup 2017 in Providence, Rhode Island 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.[8]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 Phil Hall (27 January 2014). "Jessica Ekstrom, founder and CEO, Headbands of Hope, Raleigh, N.C." Business Superstar.
- 1 2 3 Henao, Juan (23 January 2014). "Headbands of Hope founder to speak, hold fundraiser for THON". The Daily Collegian. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
- ↑ Fallon, Nicole (21 November 2013). "15 Great Examples of Socially Responsible Businesses". Business News Daily. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hatcher, Jessica (1 January 2013). "The Technician: Headbands for Hope Turns Heads at a National Level". Headbands for Hope Turns Heads at a National Level. The Technician. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
- 1 2 Kirby, Jennifer (1 July 2013). "FEATURE - Headbands of Hope". Endurance Magazine. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
- 1 2 Maguire, Marti (15 February 2014). "Entrepreneur soothes cancer in the young, one headband at a time". Retrieved 5 March 2014.
- ↑ "Chic Vendor Spotlight". Chic Vendor Spotlight: "Headbands of Hope" Offers More Than Just Adorable Flower Girl Accessories. Merci New York. 26 July 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
- ↑ Providence Journal- Retrieved 2017-03-27