John Cronin has been a fan of Lea Michele’s since her days in Glee and dreamed of meeting her when he saw Funny Girl on Broadway. Unfortunately, COVID rules on Broadway prevent any visitors from going backstage so there would be no meet and greet. That did not stop Lea Michele from connecting with John. She sent a signed copy of the cast album to John and then sent him a personalized video. You can see Lea Michele’s video here.
John said, “I love Lea Michele and her video made me so happy. I was over the moon when I saw it.”
John, who is the co-founder of John’s Crazy Socks, delivered a box of his socks to Lea Michele, and he sent Lea Michele a thank you video. You can see John’s video here.
Tell Us about John
John Cronin with his father, Mark X. Cronin, co-founded John’s Crazy Socks, a social enterprise with a mission to spread happiness. They have bootstrapped John’s Crazy Socks into the world largest sock store with more than 4,000 different pairs of socks. John was named Entrepreneur of the Year by EY.
John is not only an entrepreneur, but he happens to have Down syndrome, but Down syndrome never holds him back. Every day, John works to show what people with differing abilities can do. More than half his colleagues have differing abilities.
John is a Special Olympic athlete and a dancer. In fact, he hosts his own online dance party every Tuesday. He loves singing and dancing and loves Broadway musicals.
How Did the Connection with Lea Michele Happen?
John Cronin loves Lea Michele and has followed her since her days on Glee. For Christmas, John received tickets to see Lea Michele in her starring role in Funny Girl on Broadway. John could not wait.
As the evening of the performance approached, John’s Dad posted a notice on the John’s Crazy Socks Facebook page asking if anyone knew Lea Michele and could they connect John with her. Hundreds of people responded, cheering John on, cheering for Lea Michele and many offering to help.
Eventually, word got to Lea Michele about how big a fan she has in John and she learned about the work John does to spread happiness and show what people with differing abilities can do. She wanted to meet with John, but the COVID rules on Broadway made that impossible. Lea Michele persisted. Through her production company, she sent John a signed copy of the cast album CD.
The afternoon of the performance, she made the video that she sent to John. And she made sure that the theater management treated john like a king during his visit.
For his part, John delivered a box of socks to Lea Michele as his way of saying thank you. “I wanted to make her happy,” said John.
“I loved the show,” said John. “Lea Michele was so good. I really loved it when she sang, “Don’t Rain on My Parade. She was so awesome.”
Lea Michele is a star who sings to thousands of people every night, but in this case, she took the time to make one person feel very special and John is forever grateful.
About John’s Crazy Socks
John’s Crazy Socks was inspired by John Lee Cronin, a young man with Down syndrome, and his love of colorful and fun socks—what he calls his “crazy socks.” He and his father, Mark X. Cronin, started the company as a social enterprise with a mission of Spreading Happiness™. With more than 4,000 socks, John’s Crazy Socks is now the world’s largest sock store. More than half their employees have a differing ability, and their Giving Back program has raised over $550,000 for charity partners like the Special Olympics, the National Down Syndrome Society, and the Autism Society of America. Most of all, they are Spreading Happiness™.
For more information about John’s Crazy Socks, visit our webpage, Facebook page, Instagram account or YouTube channel. You can also contact us at 631-760-5625 or via email at service@johnscrazysocks.com.
