For the past two decades, there has been a surge in a number of multi-coloured fundraising wristbands aligned with various charities, all being sold to raise funds for good causes. The trend has peaked and waned over time but there once again seems to be a resurgence in interest when it comes to wearing these fashionable, charity-conscious wristbands. Here is a look at some of the more successful charity silicone wristbands sold the past few years.
Fundraising wristbands
1. Livestrong
Before his monumental fall from grace, American cycling legend Lance Armstrong gave rise to the popularity of the charity wristband. In the region of 87 million of his bright yellow silicon wristbands were sold, raising funds for his foundation, Livestrong, a cancer and health charity. The band sponsor, Nike, stopped making the bands in 2013 shortly after it emerged that Armstrong was involved in an international-level doping scandal.
2. Aids
There has been a trend for specific causes to adopt a colour, and when it comes to Aids, red is the wristband colour of choice. The charitable organisation, RED, sells a range of red-coloured items, the iconic Aids wristband among them, to raise funds in the ongoing fight against the disease. Since the early 1990s when the Aids virus first came to public attention, fundraising and awareness campaigns have drastically reduced the number of sufferers with significant treatments developed to improve quality of life.
3. 46664
One major contributor to the fight against Aids was the impactful 46664 Aids benefit concerts which brought international artists together in honour of the international struggle icon, Nelson Mandela. Reflecting the prison number that identified Mandela during his many years on Robben Island, the number was then imprinted on bangles made of precious metals and sold to raise funds for charitable initiatives. The 46664 Bangle initiative was launched in June 2008 at a 46664 London concert which coincided with Mandela’s 90th birthday celebrations.
Read more: Best wristbands for charities and fundraising
4. Breast Cancer
While Aids is synonymous with the colour red, breast cancer is undoubtedly synonymous with the colour pink and this has been reflected in wristbands worldwide. The wristbands feature the words ‘knowledge’, ‘strength’ and ‘hope’ to represent the core elements in the fight against breast cancer. The pink wristband has evolved to include Pandora bracelets, pink ribbon-styles, and empowerment words such as ‘believe’, ‘fight like a girl’ and ‘think pink’.
5. Stand Up Speak Up
In 2005, footballer, Thierry Henry launched the Stand Up Speak Up campaign aimed at tackling racism in football. Sponsored by Nike, the campaign was visually represented by two wristbands – one black and one white – intertwined to symbolise the unity of all races. It was a successful campaign which ran for four years and raised more than 6 million Euros.
6. Make Poverty History
2005 was clearly the time to launch unity campaigns as this was when the Make Poverty History campaign started in the United Kingdom as a way to feed poor nations. The campaign quickly became global and the iconic white wristband was worn by millions of people in Europe, New Zealand, Africa, Asia and America.
Read more: Wristband trends
7. Beat Bullying
In the late 1990s, another United Kingdom-based campaign was launched in an effort to address bullying in schools. Blue wristbands were sold with the inscription ‘I have the right to be safe’ on them. While the campaign was successful in raising funds, there was an unexpected backlash when children wearing the blue bands were then targeted by bullies.
8. Movember
While sporting a moustache for the month of November still remains as a way to raise funds and awareness for men’s health, the fundraising initiative has now evolved to include the wearing of turquoise and mustard-coloured wristbands which can be also be worn by women showing solidarity with their brethren.
9. Help for Heroes
The British community show support for their armed forces by purchasing the Help for Heroes red, blue and navy wristband. Funds raised from purchases of the wristbands go towards helping injured and sick heroes of the armed forces live their lives to the fullest.
Because of the ease of use, durability and array of colours available for wristbands – particularly silicone wristbands – it seems the popularity of fundraising wristbands will continue. It’s a great way to raise much-needed funds for worthwhile causes and the appeal of the wristband aesthetic will continue to attract audiences of all ages.
It’s important to partner with an experienced wristband supplier such as IDCBand SA. For fast, reliable and quality event wristbands in South Africa, silicone, access control and more contact IDCBand SA today. IDCBand SA is South Africa’s leading event wristband supplier based in Johannesburg and supplies wristbands and other security and promotional items for just about every event and function all over South Africa.
