Thank You to County Executive Steve Bellone for the Shout Out to John’s Crazy Socks During His State of the County Address
Standing before a packed house and a television audience, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone devoted a portion of his State of the County address to highlight the work of John’s Crazy Socks in hiring people with differing abilities and promoting their rights. The County Executive also touted our socks, noting that everyone loved the socks. He introduced John and Mark to the audience, who cheered loudly. John was thrilled.
Mr. Bellone gave his State of the County address in a theater at Suffolk Community College. The hour-long speech was peppered with facts, statistics and humor and highlighted the achievements of the county, new initiatives (e.g. establishing a 311 system for non-emergency calls) and some of the challenges faced by the County (e.g., water quality and the opioid epidemic). Before closing his talk, Mr. Bellone addressed the need to promote people with differing abilities. He spoke of the contributions people with differing abilities can make to the County and the need to remove barriers that limit their participation in our workforce and society.
The County Executive highlighted the work of Elija Farms and John’s Crazy Socks. Elija Farms in South Huntington is led by Debora Thivierge, who has long advocated for people on the Autism spectrum. She leads a non-profit farm committed to using environmentally responsible practices to raise high quality, sustainably grown produce and they provide work opportunities for people with differing abilities, particularly people on the Autism Spectrum.
At John’s Crazy Socks, advocating for people with differing abilities is part of our mission. Co-founders John and Mark Cronin frequently meet with elected officials at the local, state and federal level and have testified twice before Congress. Mark explains, “Our advocacy favors neither Democrats nor Republicans, instead, we work with people all along the political spectrum to advance the rights and interests of people with differing abilities.”
We appreciate the efforts of Steve Bellone to support people with differing abilities. He has visited both the John’s Crazy Socks office and Elijah Farms to learn more about the two businesses. His Economic Development staff has met with John’s Crazy Socks and has supported our efforts to expand and grow our business. He has helped Elija Farms to secure long-lasting financial support to preserve their land for farming. His interest and commitment to support people with differing abilities is real and sincere and he takes action. What more can we ask of our elected officials?
