The craze started with Nike.
In 2004, the sprawling athletic company began manufacturing rubber wristbands for basketball players embossed with words such as Player, Baller and Respect.
The bands became officially mainstream last May when famous bicyclist and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong teamed with Nike to make a wristband solely to benefit cancer research. It is yellow and says, "Livestrong."
The ASU Bookstore alone has sold 6,000 of the 31 million bands that Lance Armstrong Foundation spokeswoman Michelle Milford says have been sold by the nonprofit organization.
In essence, the bands have become a trendy way to support a good cause. But, as with most trends, the with-it wristbands are almost too popular, allowing some scammers to take advantage of a good thing.
Oftentimes, independent Web sites lead users to believe they donate proceeds to a particular cause, but don't, says Robbie Finke, director of Marketing and Corporate Sponsorships for The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
"Many of those bracelets do not benefit any specific nonprofit, but are fashion accessories that show you care about breast cancer," he says.
One such Web site, www.lifebracelets.com, sells four different colored bracelets that say, "I will." Its homepage has a picture of each bracelet in a large box with a question at the bottom asking, "What's your color?" The four bracelets represent four different causes: cancer, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis and breast cancer.
After clicking on one of the boxes, the user is directed to a page with a definition of the disease and an option to buy a bracelet. What many users don't notice is the FAQ option, under which the organization states it is not a nonprofit or charity, but exists primarily to "raise awareness."
Mike Scott, a representative for the site, says the company has been manufacturing the bracelets since November.
"Our Web site clearly states what we are, and we make these four bracelets to get people more aware and talk about these diseases," he says.
While there is a link on the site that lists charities to which people can independently donate, money from the bracelet sales does not directly go to any charitable organizations.
The key difference is that some bracelet sales, such as those by the Lance Armstrong Foundation, go directly to charitable organizations, and some are simply accessories to demonstrate general support of a cause.
Such bracelets are sold on various Web sites including www.onlineyard.com, which offers "Livestrong" bands in a variety of colors for $1.95, and www.toywiz.com, which sells the bands for $2.99 and breast cancer awareness bracelets for $4.99.
Finke says only the pink bracelets sold at www.target.com/breastcancer benefit The Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Milford says the two sites are not approved vendors for the "Livestrong" bracelet.
"A customer who buys a wristband from any other location might be buying a counterfeit wristband or, if they pay more than $1, providing a profit to the seller that will not benefit the (foundation)," says Milford, who also discourages customers from buying bracelets off of e-Bay because it undermines the foundation's charitable efforts by providing profits for individual sellers.
While the scammers always will be out there trying to hoodwink the public, many awareness wristbands genuinely support charitable organizations.
Target began selling pink wristbands last October in connection with The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The bracelets have been the top-selling item on Target.com for two months, and sell for $1 each in packs of 10. As of Jan. 20, Target had raised more than $1.2 million from the bracelets and has given all the money to the foundation.
"Target does not make a cent on anything in the Pink Collection," Finke says.
He adds that as a result of the money, researchers at the foundation have been able to develop new drugs, including one that makes commonly used breast cancer treatments more effective.
An organization closer to home is also making a difference for the less fortunate.
The volunteer-run ASU Tsunami Task Force is currently selling $2 wristbands, $1 of which goes toward scholarship funds for students whose families were devastated by either the tsunami or hurricanes in the Caribbean and are in need of serious financial aid.
Virgil Renzulli, vice president of the ASU Tsunami Task Force, says that about 400 bands were pre-sold last week at the ASU Bookstore, and that sales likely will increase after the bands actually arrive
"As long as we can keep one student from dropping out of ASU, we'll know we have succeeded," he says.
Renzulli knows the right audience exists at ASU for the tsunami bands. Throughout campus, the bands color the wrists of countless students.
Psychology sophomore Brandon Carter received an official breast cancer wristband inscribed with the words "Share Beauty, Spread Hope," from a friend in Chicago. Besides the cancer band, which is pink, he also wears the "Livestrong" bracelet.
"I like the color pink, but these bracelets are also trendy and support a good cause at the same time," says Carter.
Carter says he also plans to buy a light blue bracelet to benefit muscular dystrophy.
ASU biology sophomore Garron Tanner wears two bracelets, one white and one orange.
"The wristbands that support different causes are good, as long as the money actually goes to where the seller says it does," he says.
Reach the reporter at kate.kliner@asu.edu.
