Headbands of Hope
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Headbands of Hope, LLC is an organization founded by Jessica Ekstrom. For every item sold, a headband is donated to a child battling cancer. Since its launch in 2012, Headbands of Hope has donated over 1 million headbands to hospitals across the United States and in twenty-two countries.[1] Headbands of Hope products are available in thousands of stores across the world. Headbands of Hope operates as a for-profit organization.[2][3]
| |
| Founded | April 2012 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Jessica Ekstrom, CEO |
| Location | |
Region served | United States |
| Website | www.headbandsofhope.org |
History
Headbands of Hope was created by Ekstrom after an internship at the Make-A-Wish Foundation in 2011.[4] Noticing the popularity of headbands over wigs with girls battling cancer, Ekstrom created a product specifically for these children. The organization launched in April 2012, and by January 31, 2013, the organization had donated more than 3,000 headbands.[5] TOMS Shoes, a supporter of the organization, provided the business model of sending the headbands to hospitals, rather than individual patients.[5] The company has expanded to sell other hair accessories as well, such as claw clips and hats in more recent years.[5] In 2019 the program was expanded to include children with illnesses other than cancer, as they had more headbands to donate than recipients.[6]
Production
The headbands are tagged and branded in their warehouse in Cornelius, North Carolina.[7] This location was chosen by Ekstrom with help from the Colleges of Design and Textiles at North Carolina State University, her alma mater.[5]
Marketing
The headbands are marketed by representatives on college campuses.[8] The "Hope Club," allows cancer patients who have received headbands to post photos and biographies.[9]
Recently, the organization has started marketing more general headwear through Headwear of Hope, donating headwear to young boys undergoing cancer treatment.[2] In addition to the headwear, the organization donates $1 for each item purchased to the St. Baldrick's Foundation .[2]