Do you wear any "charity bands" (silicone wristbands)?

[mytocles]

I started wearing a wristband when someone gave me an XBox one. All the life-threatening-disease organizations must have been taken; the XB one is for the Girls and Boys Clubs.  Very appropriate, just not a serious disease one.

I found out that wearing 3 of them was fine, comfort-wise, but 4 didn't work.  The XBox one is history - it was half white and that part was yellowing anyway.  Over the next few years I picked up two that were selfish (my disorders) and one that I wear for a friend:

Red - American Diabetes Association (I'm a Type 1 diabetic)
Green - United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation (yup, got that too)
Blue - Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (really glad I don't have it, really wish my friend didn't!)

I see people on TV wearing them - sports figures and politicians mostly, and I'm curious as to how many are out there.  If you buy, wear, or collect them, post it here please. 

[leo8877]

No

[Larraque]

How did these things ever become popular anyways? I think they look kind of tacky.

No offense to you Mytocles. Everyone has their own style. I just think that in ten years we're gonna look back at them as though they are mullets.

[Isgrimnur]

Awareness bracelets gained in popularity in the 2004 when the Lance Armstrong Foundation introduced its trademark yellow Livestrong wristband to raise support for cancer research.[3] By early 2005, silicone wristbands became popular with many charities, such as Make Poverty History and the BBC's Beat Bullying campaign. Other wristbands include wristbands for kidney donation (green), breast cancer (pink), diabetes (blue), multiple sclerosis (orange), epilepsy (half blue, half red), Hurricane Katrina (ocean blue mixed with white), and AIDS (red, made only in Africa). In general, the color of the band describes its cause, and the colors are often the same as the colors of awareness ribbons.

Ribbon colors

Red:
AIDS awareness
Substance abuse awareness

Green:
Lyme disease (lime green)
Organ transplantation and donation awareness
Environmental protection
Worn by Irish nationalists, representing their want for a united Ireland

Blue:
Sex trafficking and slavery awareness (navy blue)
"Bring Home Our Troops" campaign
Child abuse awareness
Prostate cancer awareness (sky blue)
Electronic Frontier Foundation's Online Free Speech
Canada's anti-tobacco, anti-second hand smoke
Spain's campaign for the release of Basque terrorists' kidnap victims
"Responsible use of public lands for the benefit of all recreationists"
International No Diet Day
Hydranencephaly awareness

Ribbon-wise they have Diabetes listed as a grey ribbon, Cystic Fibrosis listed as purple.  I found other internet sources that had mitochondrial disease associated with green ribbons.  That being said, I have not ever worn one to support a cause.  My previous employee put out some for employees in an orange color to be a rah-rah type thing. 

[PeteRock]

I've only ever worn a Livestrong band for the Lance Armstrong foundation and if I'm not mistaken that's kind of where the craze started.  And I think teen fads influence things like this as well.  I've seen so many different types of bands, and many don't even stand for anything. 

So many in both my own family and my wife's family have either been lost to cancer, have survived with cancer for some time, or continue to survive today, and each year my wife and I donate what we can to the Foundation.  We both take cancer very seriously and do what we can to help cancer-related foundations.

For our wedding rather than hand out pointless wedding favors we placed a Livestrong band on each plate with a note saying that on everyone's behalf the bride and groom made a special donation to the foundation.  

[YellowKing]

Wore one briefly for Relay for Life (raises funds for cancer research) because my company was heavily involved and I was on the committee. They were selling them as a fundraiser so to be a good committee person and advertise I felt I needed to wear one. I didn't mind; I've lost two grandparents and a friend to cancer so I strongly supported the cause.

After it was over though, I stopped wearing them. I'm not a big "accessory" person. Hell, I didn't start wearing a watch until I was well into my 20s, and the only ring I've EVER worn and will ever wear is my wedding band. I'm not against the sentiment, but it's not my style.

[Redfive]

I've worn a mixed red and blue one in the past.  It's for Epilepsy awareness (my 7 yr old daughter has been diagnosed).  I had stopped wearing it as I misplaced it during a move but I've recently found it and will most likely start again.

[SkyLander]

[mytocles]

How did these thi :icon_lol:ngs ever become popular anyways? I think they look kind of tacky.

No offense to you Mytocles. Everyone has their own style. I just think that in ten years we're gonna look back at them as though they are mullets.

No offense taken, lol.  One day at my local coffee shop I looked at everyone's wrists, and didn't see a single silicone band.  I was wearing four at the time, and thought "I probably look like an idiot."  Then I recalled the poem that I can never remember the name of... something like "When I'm 70, I'll wear purple."

I'm not 70, but I decided I was old enough to not care what someone else thought about them, and so they are my personal mullets, I guess!   

[Knightshade Dragon]

I wore one for a soldier who was MIA for about 8 months.  Unfortunately it ended up that he was KIA.  I took that pretty hard so I've not done it again.   

[WalkingFumble]

I wore some 'Stand Up Speak Up' anti-racism bands till they broke.

[CeeKay]

do handcuffs count as charity bands?

[Isgrimnur]

Depends on the amount of cash seized at the time.

[CeeKay]

Depends on the amount of cash seized at the time.

or if the Hookers name is Charity 

[Ironrod]

How did these things ever become popular anyways?

Are they? I don't think I've ever seen an adult wearing one. Maybe it's a regional thing. Or maybe I'm not very observant. Or maybe I run with the heartless.

[MonkeyFinger]

How did these things ever become popular anyways?

Are they? I don't think I've ever seen an adult wearing one. Maybe it's a regional thing. Or maybe I'm not very observant. Or maybe I run with the heartless.

I don't think they are popular but they certainly were popular a few years ago. As noted, you can blame Lance for starting it all off. I have a bunch around somewhere, used to wear a couple at a time and then just stopped. Biggest annoyance I remember with some of them was that they would pick up the oils from your skin and get kind of... slickery... for lack of a better word. Soap and water would take care of that. Or a shot of penicillin, I forget which.

[EngineNo9]

Nope, don't wear one and wouldn't.

[mytocles]

The whole time I was posting this, and reading the replies, I was trying to remember who I've seen on TV that wears a red wristband - merely out of curiosity since one of mine is red.  I just couldn't place it until...

I finally retrieved that bit of info, and now I want to know why Stephen Colbert wears a red wristband...

The first person to get the correct answer (you'll have to prove it to me) - wins a prize.  Honestly, I have a ton of video games and related stuff cluttering up my den; so prove to me: A) what it is for, and B) why he wears it, and you will be given a choice of prizes based on your preference.

 

[hitbyambulance]

The whole time I was posting this, and reading the replies, I was trying to remember who I've seen on TV that wears a red wristband - merely out of curiosity since one of mine is red.  I just couldn't place it until...

I finally retrieved that bit of info, and now I want to know why Stephen Colbert wears a red wristband...

The first person to get the correct answer (you'll have to prove it to me) - wins a prize.  Honestly, I have a ton of video games and related stuff cluttering up my den; so prove to me: A) what it is for, and B) why he wears it, and you will be given a choice of prizes based on your preference.

 

"On July 26, 2007, Colbert broke his left wrist while performing his warm-up for the show. Following the accident Colbert launched a new section of the show entitled "Wrist Watch", featuring news stories about wrists during which the character attacks what he sees as Hollywood's glamorization of "wrist violence". On August 8, Colbert debuted the "Wriststrong" wrist band, based on Lance Armstrong's "Livestrong" wrist band, in a hope to increase wrist awareness. The wristbands were made available for purchase online and Colbert ordered those wearing the bracelets to give them to anyone they meet who is more famous than themselves."

from the section on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Colbert_Report#Wrist_violence_and_fictional_addiction

[mytocles]

The whole time I was posting this, and reading the replies, I was trying to remember who I've seen on TV that wears a red wristband - merely out of curiosity since one of mine is red.  I just couldn't place it until...

I finally retrieved that bit of info, and now I want to know why Stephen Colbert wears a red wristband...

The first person to get the correct answer (you'll have to prove it to me) - wins a prize.  Honestly, I have a ton of video games and related stuff cluttering up my den; so prove to me: A) what it is for, and B) why he wears it, and you will be given a choice of prizes based on your preference.

 

"On July 26, 2007, Colbert broke his left wrist while performing his warm-up for the show. Following the accident Colbert launched a new section of the show entitled "Wrist Watch", featuring news stories about wrists during which the character attacks what he sees as Hollywood's glamorization of "wrist violence". On August 8, Colbert debuted the "Wriststrong" wrist band, based on Lance Armstrong's "Livestrong" wrist band, in a hope to increase wrist awareness. The wristbands were made available for purchase online and Colbert ordered those wearing the bracelets to give them to anyone they meet who is more famous than themselves."

from the section on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Colbert_Report#Wrist_violence_and_fictional_addiction

Ha-ha! You win the prize, HBA!  I know I have your address somewhere, but email it to me again - PM me if you have to, but I prefer email - with the info on the gaming systems you own and your favorite type of game, (or accessory) you want, and I'll send you a list to select from, including games, controllers, mem cards, keyboards, game guides, etc. 

This is fun, lol!