Community woven by helpers: T-shirt sales add support

B-Unlimited Boosts Small Businesses and the NWA Food Bank

Ben Clark has been leading his graphic T-shirt business, B-Unlimited, since 2006. That was when he purchased a company that had been operating since 1994 -- a company which, at the time, counted only one University of Arkansas sorority among its customers. While the economic downturn of 2009 was rough on the small business, B-Unlimited now creates custom-designed T-shirts for sororities and fraternities at hundreds of universities across the country.

"I've been here for a long time, and I know that hard times bring out creativity," says Clark. "It makes us think outside the box and get inventive."

Thinking outside the box this time around led Clark and his team to develop a new business model that allows him to keep his entire staff on the payroll at the same time they're helping other small businesses do the same.

"B-Unlimited is located in south Fayetteville, and we have about 100 employees," explains Clark. "Everyone is connected to the community in some way. We're highly involved in the Chamber of Commerce and Startup Junkie and other different organizations throughout the community. Eighty percent of our business comes from 200 universities, and all of them have shut down their social events, which is causing us to slow down. So we're trying to pivot to doing some things for the community and for ourselves, as well -- as long as it helps us make payroll, we don't mind not being profitable. We just want to break even."

The solution Clark and his team came up with was to design a series of T-shirts called the "Alliance Collection" for iconic Northwest Arkansas businesses like George's Majestic Music Lounge, Roger's Rec Hall and the Little Bread Company -- so far, they've teamed up with approximately 100 such partners -- and split the proceeds with the area businesses.

"We're trying to do whatever we can to keep the economy flowing in this area," says Clark. "We have a lot of favorite places around town, so we said to a lot of the places we love and patronize, 'Hey, we love you, and we know other people love you. Let's do a T-shirt together.' Every owner or business leader out there [we've partnered with] has really enjoyed the program, and we're finding success with it. It's not the sales we get from universities, but it's enough sales to sustain us until we get back to the new normal."

In addition to supporting small businesses, Clark's team also designed an "NWA Strong" T-shirt to help support the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank. They've donated $6,000 so far -- that translates into more than 50,000 meals for Northwest Arkansas families -- and are shooting for $10,000. And one more thing: The B-Unlimited team makes around 500 masks a day, some of which they're donating. They can also be purchased for $5 each.

Clark says these plans to contribute to the community while striving to support his staff with continued employment are long term.

"We'll be doing this for a while -- probably until the fall," he says. "If any businesses are interested, we would love to team up with you -- reach out and contact us. We appreciate all of the support that the community has given us over the years, and this is a way to give back to the community. It's been really fun for me and my team."

The Chinese Association, the Walson Chinese School and Grace Chinese Christian Church Round Up Resources for Health Professionals and First Responders.

Dr. Lizhen Gui of Northwest Arkansas Pathology says she recognized the covid-19 pandemic was going to be dangerous early on -- and, as a pathologist, she recognized how dangerous it could be for hospital staff who might face the prospect of treating coronavirus patients without sufficient protection, like masks and gowns. So she and fellow doctor Cathy Lou and Walson Chinese School principal Qiang Wang rallied three organizations -- the Chinese Association of Northwest Arkansas, the Walson Chinese School and Grace Chinese Christian Church -- to do what they could to help. They started by emptying their own homes of any masks or gloves they had on hand; Gui says they were able to donate a couple hundred items to Washington Regional that way. Next, they raised money -- $10,000 in the first three days -- to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) and, because of their quick action, they were able to order some of the last N95 medical masks available.

"In the Chinese community , everyone wants to help," she says. "I said, 'OK, let's do something. It doesn't matter how much you give, when we add it together, it's a big number.' And we just passed $20,000. These are students, professors, housewives -- they are not rich, but they are all willing to help. We used that money to order masks and other medical materials from China. " Gui estimates they've donated around 22,000 PPE items to nearly 40 area hospitals and clinics, including Mercy Hospital, Arkansas Children's Northwest Hospital, Her Health and Highlands Oncology, where PPE shortages meant that the latter was faced with the possibility of having to reuse masks before Gui and her volunteers stepped in.

"I think this is a once-in-a-lifetime crisis for our generation," says Gui. "I have never seen anything worse than this. The virus is the enemy, and we should all be tightly united. Our slogan is 'We are all in this together' -- no matter the color of your skin or your nationality, we're all members of society, and it is our duty to contribute. I'm so happy to see that the people here have so much love and good community here."

Jesse Liu is a junior in college who returned home to Fayetteville when his college transitioned to distance learning. He says helping with the efforts of local organizations has been a good outlet for him.

"It was a surprise, coming home this early, and having my junior year abruptly ended," he says. "It was shocking, being away from normalcy, leaving my friends. I definitely wasn't expecting it. But I'm just trying to help out the best I can and trying to help spread the word."

In addition to fundraising, Liu says the three organizations have assembled a volunteer sewing team who are busy making masks for health professionals and first responders.

"As the surgeon general recommended, we're making masks to wear when you're out in public," he explained. "We're donating those to healthcare professionals on the front lines."

"The majority of those we're donating, but some we sell and put the money back into our fundraising," explains Gui. "That actually helps a lot. They're making really lovely ones. I have lots of pathologist friends in New York, and they're in really bad condition. It's very bad there. We have sent some masks to them."

Gui says when they ship their homemade masks or PPE, they include a note that includes their philosophy, both in English and Mandarin: "We're all in this together" in English and "In the same boat under wind or rain" in Mandarin.

"I think it's really a happiness, to even be capable of helping," says Gui. "If you have money, donate money. If you can do some work and help, that's useful. Anything you give is always a happiness.

"Our goal is simple," she concludes. "If we help others, we help ourselves, as well."

Local Sewing Groups Help Protect Us.

This is not a new story: For generations, those with a talent for needle and thread have supported the country through times of crisis. In World Wars I and II, sewing groups largely made up of women made socks, pajamas, sheets and blankets to ship to soldiers on the front lines. In the current war against covid-19, those with appropriate skills have devoted themselves to making cloth masks. It's a task that has grown increasingly more and more critical in the wake of the surgeon general of the United States' recommendation that the general public should wear face coverings when out in public.

"Quilters are very generous," says Laura Speer, president of the Quilt Guild of Northwest Arkansas. Speer says the organization is celebrating its 35th year. "There are people that make quilts and sell them, but a lot of people don't -- of all the quilts I've made, I've only sold one of them. The rest I've given away to children, nieces, nephews, friends. It's something we enjoy doing, and all the quilters I know are very generous. When the call came out about the need for masks, I thought, 'I have fabric out the wazoo; that's not a problem.' And they've done studies and found that quilters' cotton is really good quality for a mask. It's not an N95 mask, but they say it catches between 70 and 75% of the germs. And they're washable and bright and happy."

Speer's organization has about 140 members, and when she did an informal email poll to find out how many members were making masks, 30 members responded that they were.

"Those 30 had probably done close to 2,000 masks," says Speer. "We have one woman in our guild who has done 500 masks. Half of them, she sent to New York, and the other half, she's giving away here. The ones I've made have been for neighbors and family and for Meals on Wheels workers. St. Paul's Episcopal Church has a Little Free Pantry outside their church, and I've been taking masks down there a couple of times a week for people who don't have access to masks in other ways. We've left 35 masks in the Little Free Pantry, and we're working on more now."

The more masks Speer gives away, the more requests she gets: She's given away masks at Washington Regional and various assisted living facilities and, currently, she's working on masks for Ozark Guidance. When she used up all of her own elastic and found it difficult to order more -- there's an elastic shortage because of the production of fabric masks -- she crowdsourced, so family and friends sent her what they had. (She could always use more, as well as donations of fabric. See the sidebar for more information.)

Speer says this is similar to her lifelong habit of providing handmade quilts for people she loves, with one important distinction.

"The difference on this is that, theoretically, you could help save someone's life."

Guild member Lori Jones, meanwhile, made a very special donation last week. She gave 413 masks to the Fayetteville Police Department in honor of Officer Stephen Carr. Officer Carr was killed in the line of duty in 2019, and the department honored his memory on April 13. His badge number was 413.

"When they had his funeral, that whole line of cars came right behind my house," says Jones. "I watched the whole procession. I didn't know Stephen, but he reminded me of my son. I wanted to do something, and when the pandemic canceled the planned event for him, I thought, 'They're going to need masks.' And what perfect people to give masks to, so they can use them or take them around to deliver them to people might need them. They should have a supply of masks. So I rallied a couple of friends to help and we made 413 masks in three days."

Jones says she made the masks in a variety of patterns and sizes.

At this time of year, Maria at Lethal-Lure Clothing Alterations in Rogers would normally be making alterations to prom and wedding dresses. But with many spring events canceled because of covid-19, she found herself with a lot of time on her hands and a lot of worries for her small staff. So she started sewing masks for friends and relatives and, when her son posted about her work on Facebook, she found herself with a brand new line of work. Currently, she's making surgical gowns for Mercy Hospital.

"A nurse called and asked if we could donate some gowns," says Maria. "I said, 'I don't have much material -- I just have some green I could make them out of' and she said, 'The way we are now, we don't care what color [they are].'" Maria, who is also working on masks for the Rogers Police Department, says that Lethal-Lure is considered an essential business because she fits and alters all the uniforms for many of the region's police departments, including Bella Vista, Bentonville, Springdale and Fayetteville.

While she's donating much of the work she's doing, Lethal-Lure is also selling masks for $5 -- primarily, says Maria, to try and keep her staff employed.

"My employees need money to buy groceries and pay rent. I'm trying to keep them working three days a week. All I care about is that they have food on their table."

Helen Walton Enrichment Center Looks Out for the Kids.

"We live in such a great place where, even in times of 'normal' crisis, the community steps up, and, certainly, this is no different," says Sunny Lane, development director for the Helen R. Walton Children's Enrichment Center. The Center is certainly doing its part: Lane says they're adding 20-25 additional spots for children ages 6 weeks to pre-kindergarten whose parents are part of the essential workforce.

"They're in a separate classroom than our regularly enrolled children, and we're following the Arkansas Department of Health guidelines on health and safety," says Lane. "[The Arkansas Department of Human Services] is helping with licensing questions and things along that line."

The Enrichment Center opened in 1982 as a response to a lack of accessible, quality early childhood education. The classrooms have lower child-to-teacher ratios than are mandated by the state and are staffed by degreed teachers. Support services and resources are available for parents and families, and accessibility is ensured through the scholarship program.

The new spots are filling quickly, though there are still 14 to 18 available.

"We've had a big response from people who found themselves in a situation where they're on the front lines -- whether that's part of the medical field, food distribution, transportation -- people who have been trying to make it on a short-term basis with children under the age of 5," Lane says. "The families will receive a scholarship to offset what they can afford to pay. Some of our partners have said, 'How can we help?' and so those dollars are helping to support this emergency care program."

Lane says the Bank of America and many individual supporters have pitched in.

"We've raised around $32,000 already, and our goal is to see if we can raise another $35,000," she says. "The response has been fantastic. We went into it knowing we would provide the care, regardless, because it's something we need to do. But people want to help. Being able to accept their help in support, from a nonprofit standpoint, is incredible. We won't have to absorb that deficit that the additional spots would cause."

Parents who are interested in applying for the spots should find the process easy and quick, says Lane. In fact, many of the new students have already started attending the Enrichment Center.

"David is a single dad that works at an area food bank and has two sons, ages 3 and 4," says Lane. "His regular child care program closed due to the pandemic crisis, and his mother stepped in to help until they learned the Children's Enrichment Center was offering emergency care. Brian, the 4-year-old, is autistic, and Grandma could not adequately meet his needs. When the two boys walked into the classroom for the first time, Brian was greeted warmly and encouraged to sit and join the class for breakfast. He sat down, started eating and talking to the other children. His grandma was shocked. She said he hardly ever eats and is largely non-verbal. Dad is already asking about permanent spots for his sons when the pandemic is over."

Lane says such results are not unusual when appropriate early education is used as an intervention.

"This is why quality early education makes a difference," she says. "By activating neural connections during the critical stage of brain development under age 5, children are three times more likely to graduate high school, two times more likely to continue in post-secondary education, and 40% less likely to become a teen parent."

NAN Profiles on 04/19/2020