One thing that’s certain, everyone could surely use a pair of cool socks in their life. Socks are meant to dress up an outfit or keep feet warm, but did you know they could also be used to spread awareness for many causes?
Twenty-two year old John Cronin of Long Island, New York is co-owner of John’s Crazy Socks. John, who has Down Syndrome, approached his dad with the idea of going into business together and as they say, the rest is, history. To date, John’s business has brought in more than two million dollars.
John and his work crew create sock designs which help support all sorts of causes. The revenue from the sale of the socks help support these causes and are donated. Another thing that’s so good about John’s business is half of the employees that work for the company have disabilities. No one can better understand people with disabilities wanting to work than a person with the same desire. John and his dad have made breaking into the workforce a little easier for often unutilized people.
In-order to start a business, one must have a vision and a whole lot of confidence. I have to give it to John for having much of both. I also must give mad props to John’s dad Mark for buying in to John’s dream and helping it to become reality. Often, it takes a business a while to get up and running. Many tasks take a person with a disability a little longer to accomplish including starting a business. It’s always nice when you have people, especially family members, who are willing to go above and beyond.
John’s business has gotten so big, that one of the most famous people in the world has worn his socks. United States President, George Bush, wore a pair of John’s socks during World Down Syndrome Day and another pair to his wife Barbara’s funeral that support literacy. Literacy was a cause near and dear to the former first lady. John even received a letter from the 41st president in appreciation and support of his business.
Dreams and visions are what keep us going. Think about it, if you never had anything to look forward to or goals to push towards, life would be boring. I would love to have my own talk-show one day. It may be a far-fetched dream but it’s possible. John’s Crazy Socks story has inspired me to keep pushing until something happens. Perhaps one day John will create a sock design just for me.
I read about John some time ago. It made me smile with delight because he had a dream and he followed it. That and his dad is so supportive of him. John proves that anyone can dream and dreams do come to be. He is so positive. I bought a pair of his socks for my niece and gave her his info because she collects socks. What a positive, encouraging story for everyone.
Hey Debbie,
Thanks for reading and commenting. What kind of socks did you get your niece? I’m sure they were cool!