BOLD CONTRIBUTIONS

THE DAY OUR BUSINESS CHANGED

We will never forget the day our business took a significant turn. It was a cold November evening, and we were invited to our first filter build. We had heard a lot about this organization called 20 Liters that provides clean water solutions in Africa. We arrived at the facility, got our name tags and headed up the stairs to a dark attic space. When we got to the room, there were Jerry cans lining the back wall. Each can represented the amount of clean water that people walk for on a daily basis in places like Africa and rural Asia. In the middle of the room were several long tables setup to form an assembly line. After brief introductions, we put on our rubber gloves, found our places at the table and began assembling the filters. Piece by piece, part by part we glued the filters together.

During that time, we got to hear stories about the many people making an impact on the dirty water crisis happening across the world. People like an engineer that was willing to give up his day job to pursue a low-cost solution that could remove the bacteria from the water. Others that were rallying friends and family to walk for water and raise funds to send the filters to Rwanda.

The comradery of the group stirred up a unique sense of accomplishment and fulfillment knowing that the work we did that evening mattered. We knew we were making an impact on hundreds of families that otherwise would have to walk miles each day to get their clean water. We knew we were making an impact on statistics like 1 in 10 people not having access to clean water and a child dying from a water-related disease every 20 seconds.

THE REALIZATION

A few days later we were anxious to find out what would happen next with the filters, and we received an email that would forever change our business. In the fourth paragraph it explained that of the 450 filters we built that day, it would require about $100/filter to transport the filters from the US to Africa, and until the funds were raised, the filters would need to sit in a warehouse, likely gathering dust.

It was at that moment that our worldview changed. We had started boldSOCKS about 3 years earlier and we were eager to introduce our own line of socks. We knew we wanted to make a difference with our sock brand, but didn't feel a deep sense of connection to any one cause. That all changed when we realized that dirty water is perhaps one of the greatest crises of our time and as stewards of our resources, we could make a difference. We could provide the necessary funding, with the help of you, our customers, to move the filters each month. So, we launched Statement Sockwear and the 1:100 model.

THE SOLUTION

For every pair of Statement Sockwear that we sell on boldSOCKS.com, we help provide 100 days of clean drinking water for someone in Africa.

If you would like to learn more about the stories and impact of Statement Sockwear, take a look at StatementSockwear.com.

OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS

In addition to providing clean water, we also have provided resources and socks to other organizations that we feel are making an incredible impact on our community. In an effort to be transparent, we have listed them below:

  • Susan G Komen Organization - ww5.komen.org/
  • 20 Liters - www.20liters.org
  • Degage Ministries - www.degageministries.org
  • Treehouse Youth - www.treehouseyouth.org/
  • Homeless Youth Drop-In Center - www.marshill.org/
  • Compassion International - Child Sponsor - www.compassion.com/
  • Manasseh Project - www.manassehproject.org
  • Heartside Ministry - www.heartside.org/
  • The Empowerment Plan - www.empowermentplan.org
  • Operation Smile - www.operationsmile.org
  • Kid's Food Basket - www.kidsfoodbasket.org
  • Kiva Micro-finance Loans - www.kiva.org
  • Healing with Hope and Happiness - www.healinghopehappiness.org
  • MI Special Olympics (via Muskegon Polar Plunge) - www.somi.org
  • Wounded Warrior Project - www.woundedwarriorproject.org
  • Soles 4 Souls - www.soles4souls.org
  • Clothes 4 Souls - www.clothes4souls.org
  • Shoes for Orphans Souls - www.shoesfororphanssouls.org

While we would love to provide donations and funds to every organization, as a small company, we simply do not have the resources to fulfill every request. However, if you are looking to submit a donation request, we will be launching a new form in the near future. Thank you!