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SUSAN LaHOUD/SUN CHRONICLE STAFF

Abbie Woodard brought 10 sky-blue-colored wrist bands imprinted with `` RACHELSROOM.ORG'' to her school and, she says, they were gone by the first period.

For a $3 donation, the rub berized wristbands benefit the the Rachel Branagan Educa tional Foundation started in memory of an Attleboro thirdgrader, Abbie's cousin, who died of cancer at age 7 in September 2003.

The wristband bears the name of the Web site created by Rachel's father Bob and con tains information about the nonprofit organization established to maintain an outdoor class room at the Hyman Fine Ele mentary School dedicated in her memory. The foundation's goal is also to provide enrich ment programs to classrooms in New England.

The idea for the wristbands came to Rachel's brother Alex and his cousin Michella Woodard, both 11, as they sat waiting for basketball practice at the Beckwith Middle School in Rehoboth, where the Brana gan family now lives. `` I had my `Live Strong' wristband on and I said: `Why don't we do something like this for Rachel?'' Alex asked his cousin just before Thanksgiving.

Live Strong is the moniker on the yellow wristbands sold by the Lance Armstrong Foundation, the proceeds of which go to cancer research and programs.

Yellow was the color of the jersey worn by Armstrong, a cancer survivor, each of the six times he won the Tour De France. More than 33 million of the wristbands have been sold, according to the foundation's Web site. The foundation awarded $3.3 million in research grants earlier this month.

The Armstrong wristbands have spawned a new fashion statement that has caught on with school children and adults and led to spin-offs for myriad causes, including the Branagan Foundation.

An Internet search found that there are a rainbow of wristbands. There is teal for ovarian cancer, pink for breast cancer research and purple for cancer awareness.

There is lime for muscular dystrophy, red for AIDS awareness and dark blue for the elimination of child abuse.

There are also blue wristbands reading -- `` think Blue, 11/04/08'' -- the date of the next presidential election. The proceeds of those bands ordered online can be directed to the Democratic National Committee or the American Red Cross for its tsunami relief efforts.

The perennial losing team the Chicago Cubs is reportedly selling wristbands imprinted with `` BELIEVE.'' The proceeds go to charities chosen by the team. The Boston Red Sox also have a sponsored wristband.

There are others, of course, including a white band with a cross on it, stating: `` Jesus Loves Me.''

There is a professional soccer player who is spearheading a campaign for racial harmony symbolized by black and white wristbands. And there is a blue band for a related anti-bullying campaign. There is reportedly even a black wristband for those who are anti-wristband.

`` Every time there's a new color everyone flips out,'' says Abbie Woodard of the popularity of the bands. Her own basketball team has dark blue ones.

Many children sport a number of the bands at any one time.

Kelly Valley of Attleboro, whose youngest daughter Hannah, 10, was Rachel's best friend, acknowledges that the wristbands, overall, `` have become a style thing'' among children. Adults are also now asking her for the bands, which she and her three daughters -- the others are Grace, 8 and Ellen, 12 -- have been collecting donations for at the Wamsutta and Hyman Fine schools and at basketball games in Attleboro.

`` I have had complete strangers coming up to me and asking for them,'' Valley said. `` We had no idea how quickly they would sell.''

The first batch sold out and another order has just come in, she said. A total of 350 wrist bands have been sold to date.

`` It's very exciting,'' Valley said.

There have also been many more hits on Rachelsroom.org since the wrist bands have been offered, which Bob Branagan interprets as more people seeking information about the education foundation in his daughter's name.

He says he was at Sturdy Memorial Hospital with his father recently and a woman, who was from New Hampshire, noticed the sky blue band on his wrist. `` Oh, what's that one for?'' she asked. So, he got the chance to tell her, referring her to the Web site to learn more and order a bracelet if she wanted. His brother in California and other relatives around the state have requested more based upon requests that they have gotten for the wrist bands.

And there are other, perhaps more subtle benefits, to the wristbands for friends and family members.

Hannah Valley said that she gets to tell people about the artistic and nature-loving friend that she lost when people ask her about the wristbands.

Branagan doesn't mind that the bands may be part of a fad.

It gets the word out about his daughter and the organization aimed at enriching other children's lives in her name. And that's what counts, he said.