How Bowfish Kids Is Helping Hundreds of Healthcare Workers By Making Headbands that Support Facemasks

On April 1st, a good friend of Bowfish Kids, Ryann Jones, came to me needing help. Ryann is the owner of Ry-Bandz headbands, a local business here in South Jersey that we’ve supported since the beginning at Bowfish. To help healthcare workers working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ryann was including in new headband orders two buttons, which could be sewn onto the headband and used as hooks for facemask straps. The idea had exploded!

I majored in fashion design, so Ryann knew that I know my way around a sewing machine. Did I want to take a couple hundred headbands and attach buttons, to help her out? I had already organized a bunch of fantastic local Ocean City, New Jersey women to make facemasks for Cape Atlantic Hospital, the medical workers at Atlantic Care and The Shores at Wesley Manor assisted living retirement community, so I was ready to start sewing buttons onto some headbands to further help the cause.

Hearing from all the healthcare and essential workers who we were making facemasks for, about their dire need for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and their experiences with patients battling COVID-19, I just felt like I needed to make each headband order a little extra special. And what better feeling is there than getting a special note of thanks from a family member, friend or perfect stranger?

I thought about when I was a kid and how excited I got when someone gave me a candygram, so I decided to add into each Ry-Bandz+Buttons order a “candygram” option for you to write a personal note of thanks to the healthcare worker(s) in your life — or to simply donate the amount of however many masks you chose to a random healthcare worker.

In these extraordinary times for healthcare workers, I just didn’t want these heroes to receive a regular old package — I want them to receive a package that’s special and personal, in addition to helping make the incredible work they’re doing just a bit more comfortable!

Can you guess what happened next? Within a day of advertising the headbands on Bowfishkids.com, we had sold out! Not to worry — Ryann’s delivered a fresh batch and we are furiously sewing and sending them to healthcare workers around the country!

So, here’s how ordering a Ry-Bandz+Buttons headband from Bowfishkids works… there’s 3 ways to do it:

1. A heathcare hero in my life

Purchase a headband for the healthcare hero or heroes in your life, write them a personalized note of gratitude (like an oldschool candygram!), provide their shipping address, and we’ll send it directly to them.

2. Myself, I’m a healthcare hero

Once you receive your headband, snap a photo or video of you doing your thing at work and tag us on Instagram (@bowfishkids). As donations come in, our hope is to refund you in the order we receive your photos and videos on Instagram. (THANK YOU for your bravery!)

3. Donate to a random healthcare hero

Simply donate to cover the costs for refunding our healthcare heroes who purchase headbands. (Minimum donation is the price of one headband, $16).

 ORDER HERE

EVERY PURCHASE INCLUDES:

— Random Color RY-Bandz Headband(s)

— Two Sewn-on Buttons

— A personalized note of appreciation from you!