Headbands of Hope founder and author of Chasing the Bright Side, Jess Ekstrom, is dedicated to helping tens of thousands of people protect themselves during the coronavirus crisis.
Armed by inspiration, Ekstrom spent her junior year at North Carolina State University developing her company Headbands of Hope. For every item sold, a headband is given to a child with cancer. Today, Headbands of Hope has donated over half a million headbands to every children’s hospital in America and to 22 countries.
On 30 March, the company decided to temporarily change its mission. Headbands of Hope now provides double donations to aid both sick and ill children & healthcare professionals, one headband at a time. For every item sold, the company will donate a mask to a healthcare worker and have already donated 50,000 masks to US Acute Care Hospitals.
On 3 April, the CDC released an article strongly encouraging the public to use fabric to cover their face when in public to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The brand sells over 40 different styles of Tube Turbans starting at $8.95. View them here.
In the past year, the company has launched impact initiatives such as hosting proms at children’s hospitals and starting their #BandTogether program where they partner with a childhood cancer charity and donate proceeds from sales to their mission. They’ve also joined hands with art therapy by having the patients create their own headbands with the flower crown kits they provide.
Today, Headbands of Hope is in over 2,000 stores across the United States and Canada. They’ve been featured on the TODAY Show, Forbes, Seventeen, Vanity Fair, People Magazine, Good Morning America and the headbands have been worn and supported by celebrities such as Khloe Kardashian, Lili Reinhart, Kelsea Ballerini, Lea Michele and more. Jess was named Women’s Health Magazine’s Ultimate Game Changer in 2017.
