Atlanta teens turn business idea into support for local charities
Their business was inspired by a life-changing visit to a homeless shelter.
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - With a strong vision and desire for a better community, two high school students in metro Atlanta are making a difference for those in need.
From the basement of a north Atlanta home, William Wright and Daniel Kauffman are hard at work hand-pressing t-shirts. All of the shirts are designed for local charities by their business, Impact Threads.
Sometimes, these young men spend up to four hours per day, after school, working diligently on their business.
“It doesn’t feel like work, though, it’s a lot of fun; it’s good to get over there and do work,” said William, a Westminster senior.
The idea for Impact Threads was born out of an enlightening sixth-grade trip Daniel Kauffman took to a homeless shelter.
“I just remember that experience, and how I wish I could have made a bigger impact on the community,” said Daniel, a senior at The Lovett School.
The two have known one another since their lower school years, and wanted to combine their passion for entrepreneurship with a desire to serve the community.
“We were brainstorming different ways to give back to the community and things we were interested in, and we both came up with sneakers; but, we realized sneakers were a difficult thing to design and make,” explained Daniel.
William added that they too out a small loan to create their first 150 shirts. It was this type of dedication that caught the attention of The Atlanta News First Surprise Squad, bringing them to The Lovett School.
Coaches, teachers, mentors, family... all showed up to help surprise these enterprising young men.
“I Can’t believe it, I didn’t know my family was coming out,” said William, further stating, “I just thought it was a bunch of friends at first; as soon as we came out I didn’t realize we were getting surprised like this, it’s incredible.
United Community Bank presented William and Daniel with a check for $2,000, prompting a hug from Daniel.
“Wow, this is incredible, I’m in shock right now; I was not expecting this,” exclaimed Daniel.
Amanda Smith of United Community Bank had some kind words of encouragement for the young pair, saying, “I wish I was doing what you guys are doing when I was eighteen; just the impact you are going to make, continue to do it!”
William and Daniel will begin college in the fall, where they will be roommates. To help them with their transition to higher-education, the ANF Surprise Squad gifted them each $500 IKEA gift cards.
With hearts dedicated to service and a focused vision on business, there is no telling where these two will go.
United Community partnered with us to help make this special surprise happen.
If you know someone helping others and making a difference in their community, please let us know at surprisesquad@atlantanewsfirst.com.
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