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Bracelet Isn't From Lance Armstrong's Foundation

POSTED: 7:15 pm EST December 3, 2004
UPDATED: 10:15 am EST December 6, 2004

The amazing success of the Lance Armstrong wristbands that support cancer charities has other organizations piggy-backing on the craze.

  SURVEY
Do you own a "Live Strong" bracelet?

Yellow bracelets that look very much like the "Livestrong" bracelets are popping up everywhere. The question is, if you buy one, do you know where your money is going?

Twenty-five million Armstrong bracelets have been sold since they were first offered in May. Proceeds go to the Lance Armstrong Foundation to improve the lives of cancer survivors.

But Omaha's KETV-TV discovered that some yellow wristbands that look an awful lot like the "Livestrong" bracelets are not the real thing.

"I look, and I'm like, 'Support A Cure band. OK,'" said consumer Kathy Jorgensen.

Jorgensen saw the "Support A Cure" wristbands at a grocery store for $1.99 each. She'd been intending to donate to the Lance Armstrong Foundation and thought this would be an easy way to do it.

"And then I look at the back and it says, 'A portion of the proceeds will be donated to find a cure for AIDS and cancer.' And it doesn't say the Lance Armstrong Foundation. It doesn't even say where these came from, manufacturer or anything," Jorgensen said.

Who does benefit from the sale of these wristbands, and what portion of the $1.99 goes to AIDS and cancer organizations?

"Please. I mean, who's making the money from this?" Jorgensen said. "How much is actually going -- we don't even know where it's going."

A KETV investigation discovered that a company called Glaze Inc., of Edison, N.J., distributes the wristbands. A letter from Glaze to the Omaha distributor said, "Glaze, Inc. will be donating a portion of proceeds ... to various organizations who are researching for cures on cancer and AIDS."

The question remains, what portion of the proceeds? And specifically, which organizations?

The television station called Glaze and talked to Larry Weinbaum.

"Five percent of my cumulative earnings go to AIDS and cancer organizations," Weinbaum said.

'Live Strong' bracelets are sold by the Lance Armstrong Foundation raise money for cancer research and promote awareness.
'Live Strong' bracelets are sold by the Lance Armstrong Foundation to raise money for cancer research and promote awareness.

Which organizations? Weinbaum said the National Cancer Society; AMFAR, which is the American Foundation for AIDS Research; and National Breast Cancer Foundation.

The television station's investigation found no such thing as the National Cancer Society in the United States. There is an American Cancer Society, but that organization said it has never received a donation from Glaze. AMFAR has received a check from Glaze but cannot disclose how much. The National Breast Cancer Foundation said it has no record of a donation from Glaze.

"As far as I'm concerned, this is a slap to anyone who's even had a biopsy, let alone been on chemo," Jorgensen said.

The Lance Armstrong Foundation is also concerned about the look-alike bracelets. The real thing doesn't say "Support A Cure," it says, "Livestrong." And it's only offered through the Lance Armstrong Foundation and its authorized retailers.

At least one store chain in the Omaha area has pulled the "Support A Cure" bracelets from its shelves. Walgreens, which sold the bracelets in the Omaha area for a few weeks, has decided to stop carrying them. The drug store chain thought people might confuse them with the Lance Armstrong bracelets.

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