By Kristen Hunt
Staff Writer
Man with down syndrome donates “healthcare superhero” socks to healthcare workers who helped him battle Covid-19
After healthcare workers in Long Island helped John Cronin recover from Covid-19, he decided to give back by donating more than one hundred pairs of socks from his multi-million dollar sock retailer, John’s Crazy Socks.
According to a video uploaded on PIX 11 News’ social media page, Cronin was admitted to Huntington Hospital due to severe complications from the virus that has killed hundreds of thousands in the country.
“We’re here to say thank you to the doctors, and nurses and all the staff that treated John,” said Mark Cronin, John’s father.
Cronin donated some of the company's new “healthcare superhero” socks to workers at Huntington Hospital. There are different pairs on the website designed with medical equipment, hospital trucks or even healthcare professionals wearing capes.
John was born with Down syndrome and didn’t agree with the limited career options available for people with disabilities. He decided to take his fate into his own hands by telling his father that he wanted to grow a business together.
The online retailer, founded in 2016, was inspired by Cronin’s love of crazy socks. Before the business became as successful as it is today, Cronin hand delivered socks to people’s doorsteps. Now, John's Crazy Socks is worth millions, according to CNBC. His father couldn’t be more proud of John’s dedication to the company.
“John is our chief happiness officer,” Cronin’s father said in a video uploaded by the New York Post during the company’s initial craze in 2018. “He’s the face of the business, and he’s really the inspiration.”
John’s Crazy Socks donates 5% of its earnings to the Special Olympics, and hires people with intellectual disabilities to provide better opportunities to people like John.
An entire category of the website is dedicated to Down syndrome awareness socks.
John's Crazy Socks is more than a typical online retailer. It spreads the message that people with intellectual disabilities are far more capable than the world perceives, and John is making a difference one sock at a time.
“It's not enough to just sell stuff anymore,” Mark Cronin said to the New York Post. “You’ve got to have a mission and you’ve got to be giving back.”
College student makes fortune in GameStop stock, then donates Nintendo products to children’s hospital
People all over the country — both familiar and unfamiliar with the ins and outs of the stock market — became aware of the Gamestop phenomenon that cost hedge funds billions earlier this year, beginning from the Reddit forum r/WallStreetBets. One young man who found himself on the lucky end of the frenzy decided to give back in an incredible way.
Hunter Kahn, a 20-year-old college student at Cornell University, made $30,000 investing in Gamestop stock. He decided to utilize a portion of his money to buy and donate gifts to the Children’s Minnesota Hospital.
The young investor donated Nintendo Switch consoles, games and accessories to the children who could use a fun distraction. According to Kahn, all products were purchased at Gamestop to pay homage to the retailer that began his stock market journey.
According to Business Insider, hedge funds lost about $19 billion in January, at Gamestop’s peak stock price of $483 per share. This caused madness between amateur retail traders and the powerful figures of Wall Street. But Khan is no amateur to the stock market world.
“I joined r/WallStreetBets in around 2019 when I started investing. I feel more inclined to brag that I was a part of r/WallStreetBets before it got big,” he said in an interview with NBC News.
Hunter Kahn took to social media to announce his humble donation. According to Morning News Today, the student received an abundance of positive feedback in his Instagram messages for the generous deed. Parents of children at the hospital, as well as former patients who have experienced first-hand what sick children go through, thanked him for his compassion.
“Hearing those stories is the most gratifying thing in the world,” Khan said.
