Giving Back Report for March 2022 

In March 2022, we raised $15,705.37 for our charity partners. Through March 2022, we have now raised more than $512,529 for our charity partners. Giving Back is an essential part of our mission and we are excited by our ability to support others. We continue to learn that the more we can give, the happier we are. 

Our Giving Pack Program 

A core aspect of our mission at John’s Crazy Socks is to demonstrate the capabilities and contributions of people with differing abilities. Our Giving Back Program helps us to achieve this mission. By donating to charities like the Special Olympics, the National Down Syndrome Society, and the Autism Society of America, we enable them to do more work on behalf of people with intellectual disabilities. 

John Cronin, the co-founder and inspiration behind John’s Crazy Socks, initiated the Giving Back Program by committing to donate five percent of our earnings to the Special Olympics even before we opened for business. John is a Special Olympics athlete and knows first-hand the difference the Special Olympics can make in the lives of all involved. 

Since opening, we have added a growing list of Awareness Socks and Charity Socks that raise money for our charity partners. These include our Down Syndrome Awareness Socks, which John designed, and our Autism Awareness Socks. John loves to hand deliver the donations and our staff celebrates when we announce our Giving Back totals for the month.   

Event: National Down Syndrome Society Gala 

On March 10, a group of ten of us from John’s Crazy Socks attended the annual National Down Syndrome Society [NDSS] Gala at Cipriani-Downtown in New York City.  This is a special event for us because NDSS is one of our charity partners but also John is on the Board of NDSS.  So, we all got dressed up and traveled into Manhattan for the festivities.  

One of the honorees was one of John’s favorite people – Jamison Crowder, a wide receiver for the New York Jets [John’s favorite team].  Unfortunately, Jamison signed with the Buffalo Bills about a week after the gala so he will no longer be a Jet, but John had an opportunity to speak to Jamison not only about football but about his older brother, Jamaris, who has Down syndrome.  Jamison invited John to come to his one-day football camp at Duke University this summer and John can’t wait to go! 

But one of the highlights of the evening was the live auction.  As in past years, John’s Crazy Socks donated a “Design Your Own Custom Socks” experience as an auction item and John got up on stage with the auctioneer to promote the bidding.  Incredibly, after a few minutes, there was a bid of $10,000 for the experience and then a second bidder emerged to match the winning bid.  So, in a matter of five minutes, John and John’s Crazy Socks was able to help raise $20,000 for NDSS to continue their work of providing support, programs, and guidance to persons with Down syndrome and their families.  Truly, this was a fun, and rewarding, evening for everyone. 

Event: World Down Syndrome Day 

On World Down Syndrome Day, March 21, John and Mark travelled to Albany, NY, the state’s capital, to spend the day talking to NY State Senators and Assemblypersons about legislative issues important to individuals with Down syndrome.  They discussed efforts to eliminate the sub-minimum wage [which permits employers to pay people with disabilities as little as 5 cents/hour] and prohibit discrimination in the organ transplant list [people with disabilities who need organ transplants have been removed from the list solely because of their developmental disability]. 

The highlight of the day came in the afternoon with a press conference at the “Million Dollar Staircase” in the Capitol building with several members of the Assembly to discuss the hiring of individuals with differing abilities.  Then, John and John’s Crazy Socks was honored by a joint resolution of the NYS Assembly and NYS Senate recognizing the work that John and the company has done to provide opportunities for individuals with differing abilities and show what people can do if they are given the opportunity.  John received a standing ovation in the NYS Assembly – his parents couldn’t have been prouder. 

We also donated $1 for every order received on March 21 to the National Down Syndrome Society for an additional $306 donation. 

Event: Tri-CYA Gala 

On March 31, John, Mark, and several John’s Crazy Socks team members attended the annual Tri-CYA Gala on Long Island.  Tri-CYA is a Huntington-based community group that provides services to students after school and during school vacations in the Huntington, South Huntington, and Cold Spring Harbor school districts.   Previously, John and Mark were on the Board of this organization, and we support their fundraising efforts by donating a box of socks as an auction item.  Everybody had a wonderful time at this event – it’s great to get dressed up and celebrate with our colleagues. 

Giving Back – March 2022 

This report covers sales and activities from March 1 through March 31, 2022. 

Giving Back to the Special Olympics 

We pledge 5 percent of our annual earnings to the Special Olympics. We also donate 5 percent of the sales from our Sock of the Month Club to the Special Olympics. In addition, each sale of Shark Socks, Polar Plunge Socks, and Spreading Happiness Socks results in a donation to the Special Olympics.  

This month, we raised $526.50 for the Special Olympics. 

Donations to Charity Partners 

This table shows how much money we generated for each of our charitable partners. 

Donation of Boxes of Socks 

In addition, we donated 27 boxes of socks to non-profit organizations for their use in fundraising by raffling or auctioning a box of socks to benefit their group.  Some of the groups we donated boxes to include: 

Other Donations 

In addition to our monthly charitable donations and sock donations, in March 2022, we donated $150.00 to Special Olympics, $3,250.00 to the National Down Syndrome Society, $2,250.00 to Tri-CYA, and $600.00 worth of socks to Howard Longway for his work with homeless veterans in Vermont. 

Summary 

In summary, we made the following donation in March 2022: 

1. Monthly Donations to Charity Partners                  $   6,755.37
2. Charity Boxes                                                             $   2,800.00
3. Other Donations                                                         $   6,250.00 

Total                                                                                      $ 15,805.37  

Our Charity and Awareness Socks 

Charity and Awareness Socks are a large part of our Giving Back Program. The sale of each Charity and Awareness sock results in a donation to a specific charity. 

The following lists our Charity and Awareness Socks as well as the related charity partner. 

Nothing makes us happier than giving back to charity. We work together with our charity partners to help raise awareness for their causes. Then we report on this activity for our customers. Without you, none of this would be possible. Thank you. 

If you have questions or would like to comment on this report, please contact Mark X. Cronin at mxcronin@JohnsCrazySocks.com.