Some Flowstars wear red socks every weekend, and newbies and visitors may wonder why MD Tiffany Turkington-Palmer, seemingly randomly, hands out pairs of these socks – but there’s a good reason for all this: Red Sock Friday.
Red Sock Friday is a movement dedicated to making a difference, being passionate, inspiring others and being inspired, staying positive, remembering friends and expressing yourself! It is a journey, a sentiment, a cause, a statement and a tribute. And it all began with an incredible story.
This worthy initiative was founded several years ago by John McInroy, a good friend of Flow and also the man behind the awesome Unogwaja Challenge, which Flow client Etana Insurance sponsored this year.
Proceeds from the sale of red socks – which the owners are expected to wear on Fridays, of course – go to charity. The Red Sock Friday movement has since gone international, and more than 20 000 pairs of socks have already been sold worldwide.
Flow has been involved with Red Sock Friday for the past three years, having built the movement’s current online presence; we also support and promote Red Sock Friday by giving away socks to friends and clients, in so doing spreading the word.
Red Sock Friday has its origins in the Second World War. South African Sidney Feinson and two friends, after having escaped from a prisoner-of-war camp in Italy following their capture during the siege of Tobruk, pledged to wear red socks as a gesture of friendship, unity and remembrance in memory of lost friends, comrades who had not escaped, and those who had fallen in battle.
It was this simple, poignant story of brotherhood that eventually inspired McInroy to launch Red Sock Friday, a movement that has in turn inspired people all over the world to do their bit. Read more about Feinson’s story on the Red Sock Friday Facebook page.
Etana, a company at the forefront of giving back to society – often in eye-catching and innovative ways – is a staunch supporter of Red Sock Friday. Which is why the riders on the Unogwaja Challenge rode wearing red socks, scores of runners in the subsequent Comrades Marathon this year wore them, and why one sees them in numbers during Etana’s annual daREDevil run.
And, of course, why red socks are increasingly peeping out from under trouser legs at Flow’s offices, too …
If you’d like to become a Red Socker and wear your heart on your, er, feet, then speak to Tiffany (tiffany@flowsa.com) about getting yourself a pair of socks. All that will be left to do, then, is learn the distinctive rallying cry of Red Sockers everywhere: “ShoOops!”