Bands4Courage: Military mom makes bracelets from uniforms to honor son, give back to troops

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Initially, the bracelet represented a way for Elsa Zarate to keep her son physically close while he was deployed overseas with the Marines.

She took parts of her son’s old boot camp uniform — a tag from the shirt, fabric from the belt — and patched them together into a wristband.

But then strangers began asking her about the bracelet. They loved the idea behind its creation and wanted one for their own. The orders started rolling in, and so did donations of military uniforms.

“I started brainstorming and realized, ‘What better way to honor the uniform as well as the men and women who wear it?'” said Zarate, 45, describing how she created Bands4Courage.

With each handmade bracelet, Zarate includes a card with information about the person whose uniform was incorporated into the piece. Most bracelets cost about $10 each, but some cost as little as $5. She provides five free bracelets to anyone who donates a uniform.

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