In spring of 2012, I started an entrepreneur group with friends. Several of us had just earned our master's degrees in business administration and were anxious to get out in the real world and use what we had learned. Our goal was simple: build businesses and get rich. A few months into it, my wife Crissy began feeling uneasy about the group. One night before I left for the meeting she asked me, "Is this really what we want our lives to be about?" I went to the meeting, but kept thinking about her question.
Shortly after, our family went on a weekend trip to Silver Mountain in Idaho. While there, we decided to tour an old gold mine on the side of the highway. Putting on our hardhats, we noticed several black and white pictures hanging on the wall--miners, long gone. They stared right back at us: sad, sober expressions on their faces, pickaxes in hand. We started wondering about their lives. What were they like? Did they ever find silver or gold? At one point these were real people with names and families. They had dreams and aspirations like us and now...they're gone. Gone. Nobody remembers who they were or what they worked for. Nobody cares anymore about their gold and silver.
We started Hope Outfitters because Jesus gave up everything to love us and we, in a small way, want to do the same. So here's how it works: we design and sell apparel and give all of the profits away. Every year we partner with a new charity, work to create awareness for it and donate 100% of the profits from the sale of our clothing back to its cause. We call it, Buy 1 Give 100--You buy 1 or more items and we give 100% of the profits back to the cause.
It may seem small to buy a T-shirt, but it matters. Mother Teresa said, "...Do small things with great love." When all of us work together our small acts can add up to make a big difference. From the sale of our T-shirts we have healed the sick, sheltered the homeless, rescued girls out of human trafficking, provided clean water, granted money to adopting families, and so much more...all because of your purchases. Together we are changing our world for Christ. Together we are making a difference that will last for all eternity.