Founded in 1997 by the seven time Tour De France winner, Lance Armstrong, the Livestrong Foundation is a non-profit organization based in the United States that is dedicated to providing support for cancer victims. The organization was formerly known as the Lance Armstrong Foundation; however, the name was changed in 2012 as the Livestrong Foundation was launched. Lance Armstrong launched the cancer support foundation after he, himself, survived a tough battle with the deadly disease.
The Livestrong Foundation is dedicated to providing support and empower cancer survivors and their relatives. The Foundation lays a huge amount of emphasis on helping empower and inspires cancer survivors due to the tough recovery path that the disease lays down. Therefore, by providing support both during and after the contraction of the disease, the Livestrong Foundation helps cancer patients recover in the best method possible. The Foundation, when first formed, laid great emphasis on cancer research, and it outsourced third parties for the research in 2005. However, by 2010, the Foundation stopped accepting cancer research proposals from third parties. Continuing with the Livestrong nomenclature, a group called the Demand Media Group used the Livestrong brand name to start a health and wellness website, with Lance Armstrong as one of its spokespersons.
Perhaps the most popular symbol of the Livestrong Foundation has been the Livestrong wristband. Launched in 2004, and colored yellow, the wristband was developed by Nike, and has sold remarkably well, racking sales over 80 million units since its launch.
Although the Foundation began well, by 2012, Lance Armstrong had been involved in a doping scandal. The scandal led to the cyclist being stripped of all his Tour De France victories and his resignation in October of 2012. The doping scandal put the Livestrong Foundation In jeopardy, and the people involved in the foundation decided that a name change from
Lance Armstrong Foundation to Livestrong Foundation would be well suited to treating the situation.
Although the Livestrong Foundation still functions today, the doping scandal has led to the organization being surrounded in doubt and controversy.
Works Cited
Bicycling.com, . (2014). Will Livestrong Stay Strong?. Retrieved 8 October 2014, from http://www.bicycling.com/news/featured-stories/will-livestrong-stay-strong
Livestrong.org, . (2014). The LIVESTRONG Foundation. Retrieved 8 October 2014, from http://www.livestrong.org/
Inc.com, . (2014). Livestrong Without Lance. Retrieved 8 October 2014, from http://www.inc.com/magazine/201404/issie-lapowsky/what-livestrong-is-like-without-lance-armstrong.html
