Hank Warner is a father who wanted to instill the virtue of giving in his children. So he started a t-shirt company. “The recession really made me think about how people spend their money. America is a very consumer oriented society. Often we purchase things just for our personal gain. We don’t think about how our purchases can help others. I wanted my children to think about how they could help others. I wanted to teach them that they could make a difference in the world.”
The idea was born after their family dog, Poppy, suffered a near death experience. In the summer of 2009 life hit an all-time low for the Warner family. The recession left Hank Warner jobless and the family lost their home. With no place to live, Hank took his kids William (11) and Chloe (7) on a camping trip. That’s when tragedy struck. Poppy suffered a sever heat stroke and needed emergency care. With no money to pay for a vet, the family felt hopeless. Luckily, they received free life saving advice from a vet over a cell phone. Poppy made a full recovery and the experience taught the children that it takes money saves animals.
The three instantly decided that they wanted to help save other homeless animals. They came up with the idea of setting up an on-line t-shirt company to raise funds. Hank created an animated portrait of Poppy’s happy face as the logo and launched the website www.poppythebulldog.com where t-shirts are sold.
The company produces high quality fashionable children’s t-shirts bearing the “POPPY” logo. T-shirts are made from the finest 6.1 oz., 100% preshrunk cotton. The construction is double-needle stitched, taped shoulder-to-
The Warner family is on the path to recovery from the recession. But the homeless problem for animals is still on the rise. “Hopefully, we can make a difference for homeless animals” says Warner. “And in the process, I hope to spread that good feeling with other parents and children.”
