Sweaty Bands — Inspiring Women

On April 22nd, 2017, Headbands of Hope hosted their first-ever prom at Duke Children's Hospital for some very special guests – kids with cancer. Jess Ekstrom, Founder and CEO of Headbands of Hope said that she noticed how many of these kids miss out on the big exciting and "normal" events of school events, dances, etc. That is what inspired her to host a prom in their honor! On April 3rd, Sweaty Bands and Headbands of Hope launched the release of Hope Blooms, a floral Sweaty Band with a cause. For each Hope Blooms band purchased, Sweaty Bands donated glitter hair ties to contribute to a fun booth at the prom where kids could make their own corsages and headbands using silk flowers. We set out with a goal of selling 100 Hope Blooms. We are excited to report that with your help, we exceeded our goal and sold 175! We were able to provide Headbands of Hope with a variety of colored glitter hair ties. The kids attached silk flowers to them and created their own corsages!



The theme of the prom was "The World is Yours" and guests received passports that they could have stamped at different stations as they took photos with cardboard cutouts of monuments such as the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower. Food at the even offered guests tastes of Italy, China, and more.



The prom was full of laughter and dancing, DIY headbands and corsages and lots of yummy food. People posed in a photo booth and even smeared whipped-cream pies on Duke staff as part of the fun! After the prom, Headbands of Hope received a letter from a patient that said, "Thank you for helping make an amazing night possible! The whole hospital was filled with joy and colors, instead of pain and hoodies. I will never forget my first and best prom!"

Watch the YouTube video about the prom:

Hey there! I’m Colleen, a Sweaty Bands accountant by day and a marathon runner by night (or sometimes by morning depending on when I get my run in for the day!) I qualified for the Boston Marathon in October of 2013 and am excited to run it for the first time this April. Although I have run three marathons prior to this upcoming Boston, each of those has taken place in the fall – meaning training during the heat of the summer. Since the Boston Marathon is a spring race, a huge chunk of my training has taken place (and will continue to take place) in these bitter winter months. I’m deep into the training cycle right now, and want to provide some tips to those of you who struggle with the cold…I know I certainly do sometimes! You have two options when it comes to winter running: brave the elements outside or stay warm on a treadmill. So far, I’ve found that my training has been about 50/50 indoors vs. outdoors. Some days I don’t have the courage to brave the cold conditions, but other days the fight against boredom on the treadmill seems more daunting. If you decide to run on the treadmill (or Mother Nature forces you to!), my top suggestion is to have the best playlist you’ve ever created at your disposal – i.e., songs that you know will get you pumped up and keep you on the move. I like to use my music to determine my workout on the treadmill. I’ll pick a slower warm-up speed to start with and then increase my pace or incline with every song change. Another strategy I use to help pass the time on the treadmill is to use a towel to cover up the dashboard after I set my initial speed. This prevents me from spending the entire time watching the time and distance slowly creep up. There isn’t much that goes by more slowly than a minute spent on the treadmill. And luckily, most gyms have TVs in front of them that you can divert your attention to. Even if I’m listening to music, I enjoy reading the news headlines and closed captioning scrolling across the screens. However, if you do choose to venture outside, running in the cold temperatures is all about layering and having the right gear. A fleece-lined shirt with a moisture-wicking base layer is what I have found works best for me, especially with one of the shirts having a higher neckline to leave as little exposed skin as possible. I occasionally will wear 2 pairs of socks, as well as a pair or 2 of gloves. There is nothing worse than running with a feeling of numbness in your fingers or toes! Besides just clothing, there are a few other items that are worth your investment for winter running. Most importantly, with the shortened hours of daylight, you will need reflective gear or blinking lights to attach to your clothes so you are visible to cars. I personally do not have a headlamp, but I know a lot of runners who love them to help see the ground in front of them as they run in the dark, as well as stay visible. Instead, I typically reach for our Sweaty Bands Reflective Runner headbands to stay safe, which not only work to keep my hair back but also produce a great reflective glare! Those are just some of the tips and tricks I’ve come to learn through my years of running – I hope you find them helpful! Happy running and stay warm!

Over the past few months, Cincinnati has been in the spotlight thanks to the inspiring Lauren Hill and her refusal to give up, no matter the obstacle. As you've likely heard, this spunky teen is faced with DPIG, a rare, incurable form of brain cancer that predominately affects children. But rather than give up, Lauren has spent the past 14 months getting the most out of her young life as possible--from playing in nationally broadcasted basketball games, to raising record amounts of money for childhood cancer thanks to her Fight for the Cure (you can learn even more about her uplifting story here). All of these reasons and more are why we are thrilled to contribute to her cause with our special edition Lauren Hill Never Give Up bands, available online and in our warehouse!  $10 of each purchase goes to Lauren's Fight for Cure, a nonprofit organization to help spread awareness and support for Pediatric Brain Cancer, specifically DIPG. To show your support and contribute to the cause, shop the style now.  Of all the inspiring women we come across at Sweaty Bands, Lauren has by far been one of the most special to us. We wish her the best of luck as she continues her fight to eradicate pediatric brain cancer, and can't wait to see what other great things she accomplishes along the way!