Show off Your White Ribbon
to Show Commitment to Lung Cancer Awareness
Send a meaningful message without saying a word by wearing or displaying a ribbon for Lung Cancer Awareness Month (or anytime).
Get directions to make lapel ribbons
Show your support. Gather your crafty friends and make some white ribbon pins this Lung Cancer Awareness Month.
Wear a white ribbon of support and advocacy! Show your love, appreciation, and for those living with lung cancer. As well as showing your commitment to yourself or a loved one, your ribbon can lead to discussions that educate communities about lung cancer and the need for more funding for lung cancer research.
Awareness ribbon pins can be worn on more than just your lapel.
- baseball hats
- on a backpack
- aprons or work vests
- yoga mat bags
- ID badges or lanyards
- push-pins on your bulletin boards
LCFA’s patient advocate Brandi Bryant with her white ribbon.
Go Big with the White Ribbon
Participate in a ribbon building event. Check out The White Ribbon Project, a grassroots organization that creates white ribbons as a way to educate others about lung cancer and its challenges and successes.
They are sharing physical ribbons made with love, with a personal note on the back. They are reaching out personally to each recipient to say “You are loved,” “Your story is important,” and “You are not alone.” The White Ribbon Project is a way for all of us to come out of hiding and band together in an effort to change the dialogue around lung cancer.
Participate in a ribbon-building event & make ribbons. You can coordinate ribbon builds with local organizations and business, including hardware stores like Home Depot and Lowes.
The History of Wearing a Ribbon
Using colored ribbons as a symbol of awareness is not a new idea. The first lapel ribbons that were represented as meaningful token in history were given to knights during the Middle Ages in Europe.
During the American Civil War where they were handed out to the troops as a way of honoring, supporting, and identifying them. These lapel ribbons recognized soldiers’ efforts and eventually represented symbols of patriotism and freedom. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon song
In 1979, Penne (Penelope) Laingen tied a yellow ribbon around a tree in front of her Bethesda, Maryland home when her husband, Bruce, was among those taken hostage in the United States Embassy in Tehran, Iran. Inspired by the song “Tie a Yellow Ribbon round the Ole Oak Tree”, Penny tied yellow ribbons around the oak trees at the front of her house. These ribbons were a symbol of Penny’s desire to have her husband return home safely as well as to give her and her sons strength throughout the crisis.
Penne’s small act connected with people across the US. Soon others were using the yellow ribbon in solidarity during the hostage crisis. Years later, this simple yellow ribbon would inspire multiple new awareness ribbons to be created.
The military ties involved with the origins of awareness ribbons continued on into the 90s as a commemorative movement in the midst of the Gulf War in 1991. However, in 1992, activists adopted the power of awareness ribbons and started the Red Ribbon, raising awareness of the AIDS epidemic waged its way across the world. 1992 was so pivotal in the history and culture associated with awareness ribbons that the year was officially dubbed “The Year of the Ribbon” by the New York Times.