Imagine this. You wake up, shower, dress, chase the kids, catch them, feed them, dress them, and load them into the car. You get to the school, unload the kiddies, grab hands and walk them to the front door. When you get there an oversized fellow puts out a hand and says “Stop”. You ask why and he grumbles “These kids do not have uniforms, they can not go to school.” You laugh, do a mental check to make sure its not April Fools Day, and begin to walk past. The grumbler slides in front and once again says “stop”. The fun, very clearly, is over. In your best “my spouse might be a lawyer” voice you demand to know what is going on. The grumbler grumbles that all children must wear an approved uniform in order to get an education. You are late so you say “Fine, how much do they cost?” The grumbler tells you. It is more then you can afford. Anger, confusion, fear, tears. Your children can not get an education because they do not have the proper uniform and you can’t afford it.
That’s hard to even imagine because the majority of people reading this will have grown up in a society that offers everyone the opportunity to get an education. But sadly, this is not the case in all parts of the world. In certain parts of Africa, if you do not have a school uniform you can’t attend school. And, in many impoverished areas, affording a school uniform is simply not a reality.
This summer, NetPlus will provide pro bono aid to a company whose sole purpose is to change the lives of the children who can’t afford the uniform which would afford them an education. That company is called Shirt Off My Back (SOMB), and their business model is simple – for each fashion apparel item sold they will donate one school uniform to a child in need. Shirt Off My Back was founded by two Wharton MBA’s, and ex-NHL hockey player, and a Hollywood producer. NetPlus will guide the social media effort for SOMB, helping them to build a community and fully leverage their unique access into the world of celebrities and fashion.
We will chronicle parts of this work right here as we help launch SOMB. Please make sure to follow, share, and shine up your credit cards for launch. One purchase can change a child’s life forever.
