Headbands of Hope

Background of how they started:

A college student Jessica Ekstrom was working on her internship at one of the wish granting organizations during the Summer of 2011. During this time she was working with a lot of girls who were battling cancer and she realized something. Girls love to wear headbands or hair accessories when they lose their hair due to their chemotherapy. The most amazing part? She was a junior in college, JUST LIKE ME! It amazes me someone could start something this huge when they're our age: but we're out they're doing it every single day. "Lets spread Hope in all kids, one headband at a time"

 How they do it:
Headbands of hope has set out to sell headbands in which every single headband purchased, one headband is donated to a child battling cancer. According to their website, since they began in April of 2012 they have donated headbands to every single hospital (children's) in America. Jessica believes that fashion and making these girls look great can be the greatest vehicle to positivity and self-identity. October of 2015 they even started the "Hope-Market" which is full of different accessories, clothing, and more that can be purchased which results in the benefit of a different childhood charity every single month. They call these their monthly missions, how beautiful! They give in two different ways, through giving headbands or giving through funding. Either way their mission never changes, to change a child's life. Next, they tell their story and make all of this possible through their campus reps and ambassador programs. These campus reps work as hard as they can through promotional events, sales events, etc. to spread the word and continue the success headbands of hope has provided!

This is such another beautiful organization which I do have many friends involved in, and have seen the effects first hand. What more can you ask? For more information on the organization or to look at what they have to offer check out their website at www.headbandsofhope.com!

Love Your Melon

Background of how they started:

The first organization that I want to bring to light is Love Your Melon (LYM). Love Your Melon was an organization that was created by two college students Brian and Zach. It was the product of a project in their entrepreneurship class at the University of St. Thomas. Their original idea was to help children battle cancer and they set a goal "to put a hat on every child in America battling cancer". When they made their first batch of hats, they caught on so fast and were so popular that they sold out the first weekend. Thats when they knew they had started something important.

How they do it:

Love your melon is said to be an apparel brand on a  mission to give a hat to every child in America battling cancer. They have reserved more than 45,000 hats to donate to these children. They go about this by having college campus crews at different university's raise awareness. We actually have one here at Slippery Rock. This organization is so powerful because they use social media, and their hard work to get the word out there. Every product that is sold helps a child by 25% of the cost being donated to The Pinky Swear Foundation and another 25% being donated to Cure Search. Campus crews all across the USA are working as hard as they can to make a difference. Crews work to reach credit levels with every hat they sell. When they reach certain credit levels they are able to do such amazing things such as Household Visits where they find a family and take hats to each person in the child's family and they spend an afternoon making that child feel like they aren't alone and can still have fun. They even have the opportunity to do hospital visits where they can go to a hospital and take hats to each person there.

This organization is most important to me than any other organization because I started the crew here at Slippery Rock. I am the crew president and I know how much of an impact this organization has on  children's lives: I've seen it first hand.

There is always more information available at LoveYourMelon.com where you can also purchase a hat and help a child out.