John’s Crazy Socks, an online sock store that was co-founded and inspired by John Cronin, a young man with Down syndrome, has released a Down Syndrome Awareness Sock. These socks fit men and women and honor the contributions and achievements of people with Down syndrome. John’s Crazy Socks will donate $2 from the sale of each pair of socks to groups that advocate for people with Down syndrome.
John says, “I loved designing these socks. I wanted them to be special.” Mark X. Cronin, co-founder of the company and John’s father, said, “Our whole venture demonstrates the ability of people with Down syndrome to contribute and we wanted to offer socks to raise awareness of what people with Down syndrome can do.”
There are two Down Syndrome Awareness Socks: a crew sock and a knee high sock. They were made in the United States. The socks feature a colorful icon 3 21. Down syndrome arises when a person has an extra 21st chromosome. Thus, the icon on the socks celebrates that extra chromosome. It also represents the date of Worldwide Down Syndrome Day: March 21. The socks are available in two color combinations: blue with yellow trim and purple with lilac trim. The blue and yellow are traditional colors of Down syndrome awareness. John says, “We made a purple sock because I like purple and a lot of our customers like purple.” Initial response to the socks has been very strong.
The socks sell for $12 for the crew sock and $15 for the knee high sock. Two dollars from each pair of socks goes to Down syndrome advocacy groups. One dollar goes to the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) and $1 goes to ACDS (formerly known as the Association for Children with Down Syndrome)
Giving Back is an Important Part of the John’s Crazy Socks Mission
Giving back is part of the core mission of John’s Crazy Socks. The company has pledged five percent of its earnings to the Special Olympics. John is a Special Olympics athlete and he and his family have witnessed the positive impact the Special Olympics has on the athletes, their families and the volunteers.
In addition to the Down Syndrome Awareness Socks, the company also offers an Autism Awareness Sock and they donate $1 from that $8 sock to the Autism Society of America Nassau/Suffolk Chapter. It was John who initiated the project to do something for people affected by autism. John says, “Some of my best friends have autism and people should know how great they are.”
About the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS)
NDSS is the leading human rights organization for all individuals with Down syndrome. NDSS provides state-of-the-art, comprehensive programming to all individuals with Down syndrome and their families. Said Camille Franco, the #DSWORKS® Program Manager, “We’re excited to work with John and John’s Crazy Socks. John is a role model for our #DSWORKS® Campaign which encourages businesses to invest in hiring people with Down syndrome. We love the opportunity to raise more awareness of what people with Down syndrome can do.”
About ACDS
Celebrating its 50th anniversary, ACDS is a Long Island-based organization with a mission to provide lifetime resources of exceptional quality, innovation and inclusion for individuals with Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities and their families. John attended pre-school at ACDS and it made a critical difference in his development. Michael Smith, the Executive Director of ACDS said, “We are proud to see one of our pre-school graduates turn into a fine young man and an entrepreneur. We want to work with John’s Crazy Socks to raise awareness of people with Down syndrome, their abilities and achievement as well as the struggles they face.”
About John’s Crazy Socks
John’s Crazy Socks was co-founded and inspired by John Cronin, a young man with Down Syndrome, and we have a mission to spread happiness through socks. Through John’s work in the company every day, John’s Crazy Socks demonstrates that people should not be judged on their limitations, but on the difference they make for others.
John’s Crazy Socks offers socks that people can love: beautiful, colorful, fun and crazy socks that let people express their passions and personalities. We deliver the socks through fast and personal service and every package includes a hand-written thank you note from John. The company ships world-wide, but John still makes personal local deliveries. John says, “I like to meet our customers and make them happy.”
You can learn more about John and John’s Crazy Socks at our website and our Facebook page. You can see videos with John at our YouTube channel. You can also call 631-760-5625 or reach us via email at service@johnscrazysocks.com.
You can learn more about the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) at their website (www.ndss.org) or by calling 800-221-4602.
You can learn more about the Association for Children with Down Syndrome at their website (www.acds.org) or by calling Laurie Schaefer at 516-933-4700 x 124.
