Show Battle of the wrist bands 1 S F t tf Y I. I f r x s Q Awareness bracelets more than a rubber band These new accessories support various charities like Lance Armstong's cancer foundation Brenda Lewis Globe Weekly News About a year ago sunny yellow bands began appearing on residents' residents wrists in Salt Lake City A trip to California last August revealed that it was not a local phenomenon The Wear Yellow campaign has to date reached 32 million people Tour de France great Lance Armstrong with the help of an initial 1 million donation by Nike for the production production production tion of the first 5 million silicone wrist wristbands wristbands wristbands bands increased cancer awareness For each 1 Live Strong band sold 1 was donated to the Lance Armstrong Foundation The cancer cancer survivor Armstrong started the foundation to fund cancer education and research two Thirty-two million dollars later the successful campaign gave rise to the industry of awareness bands Manufactured in China for a few cents the bands have proven to be lucrative in fund raising and unmatched in bringing public awareness to virtually anything lists fifty different organizations that are using awareness bracelets to promote their causes March of Dimes has Saving Babies Autism has Connecting the Pieces Alzheimer's has Mind strong Breast Cancer asks for a cure in all the colors of the rainbow Salt Lake City resident Andy Chudd with partner Steve Cloward started Bands for Freedom Foundation in December 2004 The foundation has hassold hassold hassold sold red white or blue Freedom bands in the last six months The result of the sales has contributed to the Armed Forces Relief Trust The raises money to help families of members of our armed ser ser- ser ser- vices Vice president and Director of Bands of Freedom Chudd attributes the success of the promotion to celebrity tion We have been very successful at getting celebrities to pose for photos wearing our bands that we post on our and we always follow up the postings with a press release he said At one can see Carolina Panthers wide receiver Mushin Muhammed Olympic gold Rulon Gardner recording artists Bowling for Soup actor Michael Keaton and many others proudly sporting sporting sporting sport sport- ing their Bands for Freedom Chudd and Cloward were seen on the Fox News national program Days ide ideon on Memorial Day to promote the bands and to inform the public of the Armed Forces Relief Trust Charities are not the only ones to take advantage of the rubber band medium Statements of affiliations or attitudes are well At the collectors collector's popular popular-as paradIse paradise paradise par par- adise everything from Pope John Paul II Rest in Peace to Bite Me Meare Meare Meare are represented Activities ranging from fromI I Love Hunting to I Love Hip Hop are available to those who want to identify identify identify iden iden- themselves to cronies The Church has jumped on the band wagon Yellow bracelets that change to white in the sun will be a prominent feature in the celebration of Joseph Smiths' Smiths birthday at Rice Eccles Stadium July 16 |