summary
Kent Clothier, successful serial entrepreneur, real estate investor, and educator invites a friend along for his traditional family outing to pay off layaway items for needy families and the anonymous tradition gets viral exposure, inspiring like-minded efforts in others. Continue reading
prREACH
Dec 24, 2014 /prREACH/ -- It is that time of year again, and the seasonal layaway pay-off tradition that Kent Clothier and his wife Seema started with their children years ago has gone viral.
Each year the Clothier family heads for the nearest Toys R Us and asks to pay off the layaway plans of needy families. Typically an anonymous foray, last year business associate and friend Brad Costanzo joined in the fun, and then posted the deed to Facebook; from there, it got plenty of attention and inspired others to do the same.
Boosted by the hashtag: #1000layaways, the idea, and the inspiration to give back, is spreading like wildfire. Comment after comment, likes and shares are piling up as Clothier's team members, students and business associates do their part, and then post to social media to encourage others to follow suit.
Craig Allen, of Clothier's team, said, "My good friend Kent Clothier challenged our team to embrace and help spread the true Christmas Spirit of giving, and go pay off layaways for less fortunate families this year. What a treat it was to do this! Camille and I walked in to Toys-R-Us today, strolled up to the customer service counter, and explained what we wanted to do. All the staff in the customer service area stop to look and excitedly starts calling us 'Layaway Fairies'."
Typically what happens next is that the customer service manager hands over a list of layaways for the donors to choose from. "It doesn't matter how much or how many" says one such 'Layaway Fairy'. She want on, "I paid off one that was only $26. It doesn't need to be some kind of huge, sacrificial act to make a difference".
Clothier, an entrepreneur, educator and philanthropist by nature, has long been teaching others about the importance of giving back; not only his own family, but also those with whom he does business, his students, and those he coaches.
From value lessons for the young, to social inspiration for the old, good will spreads, thereby creating a little more joyful energy and peace in a world that is in much need of it. Visit KentClothier.com for more information on Kent and the Time Is Now Foundation, a charitable organization that was inspired by the Clothier family tradition.
Media
Gallery
