Inspired by Survivors: Shirts for a Cure
Nearly a century ago, Walter Emerson founded W.S. Emerson Company Inc., then a wholesale apparel company. In the early 1930s the Vickery family acquired the business, and it’s still a family-owned and operated business today. The company has expanded over the years from wholesale apparel to branded and promotional products. “I began working in the […]
A Company Built on Giving Back
For Tony Poston, philanthropy isn’t just a part of his business model—it’s the very foundation it was built upon. From the beginning, his Pullman, Washington-based apparel and screen printing company, College Hill Custom Threads, has donated 10 percent back on orders that support charities or philanthropic causes, including more than $100,000 donated to those supported […]
Building Job Skills for Young Adults with Down Syndrome
When Paula Schiedler and Tammy Pebley’s daughters graduated from high school, they faced a unique challenge. Since their daughters, Hannah and Megan, have Down syndrome, Paula and Tammy knew that their transition into adulthood would be challenging—as only 18.7 percent of people with a disability are employed. They wanted to find a meaningful, skill-building way […]
Helping Kids Believe in Themselves, One Wakeboard at a Time
Julius Bloomston grew up going to Alabama’s Lewis Smith Lake. It’s where he feels at home—it’s in his blood. So when the opportunity arose for him to put his passion to work for a good cause, he jumped at the opportunity. “I read in a publication about this organization that provides a day on the […]
Working Together to Help Hurricane Victims
The day after Hurricane Matthew hit North Carolina’s eastern coast in 2018, it was beautiful and sunny. The community thought they had escaped relatively unscathed. “Everybody thought, ‘Hey, we’re going to be fine,’” says Todd Kay, the national account representative at Data Imaging, a South Carolina print and promotional products company. But then, catastrophe struck—the […]
Why You Do What You Do: When Customers Become Like Family
In October of 2018, Margaret Baker received what she thought was just another order at Printed Faith, a faith-based screen printing and embroidery company in Charleston, S.C. “I had a lady call me because she wanted to order some shirts with a Superman logo and her son’s name on it,” Margaret says. “We printed and […]
Sending Clothes and Comfort to Victims of a California Wildfire
California is no stranger to wildfires. But in 2018, one disaster made global headlines: the Camp Fire. Spreading at a speed of 80 football fields per minute, Northern California’s Camp Fire was the deadliest and most destructive fire in state history, causing 85 deaths and $16.5 billion in damage. The fallout was shocking: after 17 […]
More than Swag: Turning Bystanders into Upstanders
In 2015, Debbie Cwalina read an article about the damaging effects of cyberbullying, and it lit a fire in her soul. She was able to do something with that passion when she joined her local Rotary Club and met others who shared her enthusiasm. “I asked, ‘What can we do to help students safely defuse […]
A Community Walks Together to Fight Cystic Fibrosis
Every year, thousands of people across the country gather in their communities to take part in the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Great Strides walk for a cure. To date, the walk has raised more than $34 million—but for Stan Scarborough, it’s about more than fundraising. It’s about community. “It’s always emotional for me to see this […]
T-shirts and Strength in the Sunshine State
By the time Hurricane Irma crashed into Cudjoe Key, Florida, in 2017, it had already been declared the strongest storm the Atlantic Ocean had ever seen. Irma’s winds clocked in at 185 miles per hour for a sustained 37 hours; an unofficial wind gust was recorded as powerful as 199 miles per hour. Those numbers […]
