Human Tribe Project

Human Tribe Project Makes Caring a Fashion Statement

How many rubber awareness bracelets do you own? Do you inwardly groan when a cause you support comes out with yet another version? Are you tired of trying to make an orange, a blue and a fuchsia band work with the outfit you’re wearing to work that day? Have we reached the point where awareness bracelets are so prevalent they no longer create any awareness?

It all started back in 2004, when Nike teamed up with the Lance Armstrong Foundation for the Wear Yellow Live Strong campaign. Stamped with the cancer survivor’s LIVESTRONG mantra, the bracelets raised funds for research and touched off a craze among charities of all kinds.

With millions of wristbands in a rainbow of colors to match a multitude of causes, Human Tribe Project, an online website dedicated to providing emotional and financial support to friends and family in crisis, decided to create an accessory that shows support in a more stylish fashion. The results are Tribe Tags -- dog tag–style necklaces and key chains – that are a way for Tribe Members to show visible support while raising money for the Tribe’s beneficiary. Available in both stainless steel and sterling silver, the necklaces include the Human Tribe Logo, as well as the initial of the person being supported.

“There’s something important about having a rallying symbol when people want to show their support,” says Human Tribe Project Founder Jaclyn Foutz. “But, when we created our company, we decided to develop something that would make a timeless fashion statement and would appeal to people of all ages.”

Human Tribe Project, a free website, was founded upon the premise that all people belong to a larger Tribe, and that this Tribe can be a powerful resource when one of its members faces a personal or health-related crisis. Each Tribe develops its own Tribe Page, a personalized webpage designed to help a Beneficiary communicate with and receive support from his or her Tribe during a crisis. Tribe Members also can purchase personalized Tribe Tags, dog tag-style necklaces and key chains, as a visible show of support and to raise money for the Beneficiary. Human Tribe Project functions like a non-profit organization, but chose not to have charitable status so that Beneficiaries will not be taxed on the monetary gifts they receive. Headquartered in Phoenix, Human Tribe Project can be found online at humantribeproject.com or on their Facebook page at Human Tribe Project.

Ribbon pins and rubber band bracelets have been around for ages, but Tribe Tags are personal. They carry the initials of the person the Tribe is rallying around to support. Plus, they’re affordable – the steel version sells for $20, with $15 going to the Tribe beneficiary as a tax-free gift. Sterling silver Tribe Tags sell for $100, $75 of which is given directly to the beneficiary.

The founder of the Human Tribe project developed it in memory of her long time friend from Chicago, who died from a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer.

**I did not write this post but fully believe in it. I hope that this website provides some of you with not only a neat Christmas idea, but also a way to feel good about what you're spending your money on.