At one time or another, most people have either worn - or at least seen - an awareness ribbon; they have been around for many years. In the 1970’s the yellow ribbon surfaced, to show support for the safe return of soldiers, in the 1990’s the red ribbon began being used, to bring awareness for those affected by the AIDS epidemic, shortly after that we saw the pink ribbon worn in support of breast cancer – and today, we see awareness ribbons in all the colors of the rainbow and each one can represent several causes.   

So what is an awareness ribbon and why do people choose to wear them? Well, the first reason is in the name itself – to raise awareness about a cause; which in turn can help raise funds to aid in supporting the cause. Merchandise like pins, magnets, key chains, bracelets, shirts, hats, etc. which have the ribbon of choice on it, are sold and most often a large percent if not all the funds raised, go to help the cause.

Many people all have countless reasons for wearing an awareness ribbon, but they all boil down to the same reasons – they are a symbol which unite the supporters of the cause, they open the door to conversations about the cause, and last – and most importantly – they are a reminder that life, is so very precious and that every person matters.

At Charming Chick we are proud to offer many awareness ribbon items that can be worn to show support and bring awareness to whichever cause (or causes) are near and dear to your heart. We have charms, hats, shirts, pins and much, much more.

 If you would like a full list of ribbons colors and the causes they represent Click Here. If you know of a cause that we do not have listed, please let us know, and we will be happy to include it.

This July is Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month, which is sponsored by the Arthritis Foundation in an effort to raise awareness that arthritis affects children and teenagers, too. Though many are not aware of the prevalence, juvenile arthritis is one of the most common childhood diseases in the United States.

According to the Arthritis Foundation, Juvenile arthritis refers to any form of arthritis or arthritis-related condition that develops in children or teenagers who are less than 18 years of age. About 294,000 children are affected. While there is no cure for juvenile arthritis, medicines and physical therapy can help maintain movement and reduce swelling and pain. Recent juvenile arthritis research found that a gene region known to play a role in some varieties of adult rheumatoid arthritis is also present in all types of childhood arthritis.

If your child is affected by Juvenile arthritis, you can sign up for a free juvenile arthritis newsletter containing latest information on treatments, research, coping, parenting strategies and profiles of kids with arthritis. You might also be interested in attending the National Juvenile Arthritis Conference July 10th-13th.

According to the JA Alliance, the following the common symptoms of Juvenile arthritis:

• Pain, swelling, tenderness and stiffness of joints, causing limited range of motion
• Joint contracture, which results from holding a painful joint in a flexed position for an extended period
• Damage to joint cartilage and bone leading to joint deformity and impaired use of the joint
• Altered growth of bone and joints leading to short stature

If you would like to find out more or make a donation, visit the Arthritis Foundation website.

Click the picture below to see some of my favorite blue ribbon juvenile arthritis awareness jewelry: