A DAY FOR RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS

Today, we're asking Warstripe Nation to help us honor the late Clayton Winkles by completing 11 random acts of kindness, and using #Great11 to encourage others to do the same.

While we didn’t have the opportunity to know Clayton before his passing, we have gotten to know his family, and are moved by they way they transformed their story of loss to one of empowerment, inspiration and service. These are the very things that embodied the spirit of their son and it’s a journey at the heart of what it takes to be a warrior.

 

Battle. It is not just about the strength to get up when you’ve been knocked down. It is when you get up, how do you come back stronger; how do you use that pain to charge forward with even more power than before?

Clayton embodied the Warstic attitude as a baseball player, bringing heart and grit to his actions every time he took the field. A passionate kid who played with joy, relished in the grind and brought that infectious energy to his team and friends.

Even at 17, he realized that sometimes the small things are the ones that have a lasting impact on the ones around us. From the little things like leaving someone’s favorite Sonic drink on their doorstep to the bigger things like starting a fundraiser to help kids afford Young Life camp, during his life Clayton left an indelible mark on a vast network of people with his actions.

 

“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together” - Vincent Van Gogh

 

Changing the world isn’t always the things you expect. The impact of living with #GrAttitude and sharing that with people in our community cause a ripple effect. Like a drop of water hitting a still pond, that tiny thing echoes far past anything we know.

3/26 is the anniversary of Clayton's passing, a date bearing unimaginable pain, but his mother, Tracy, decided to take back the power of those three numbers. To redefine them... to focus on the good memories of who Clayton was to those who knew him best, and in doing so, inspired her entire community.

11 was Clayton’s baseball number for as long as anyone could remember. It seemed a fitting reminder of not only the game he loved, but how he played. Truthfully, it was the same way he lived, with pure joy.

Now, 3/26 is a day of celebration, not sadness, a day honoring the good he brought to others. A day to be that glimmer of light to someone you may not even know. After the last 12 months, we can’t think of a more fitting time to let people in your community know they are loved.

We're asking Warstripe Nation to join us today in sharing your acts of kindness with socials using #Great11. Feel free to tag Warstic so we can share on our channels and amplify the good being done today in Clayton's memory. Those acts of kindness can be sending 11 teachers notes or sending 11 flowers to a friend you haven't been able to see in a while, maybe it's picking up 11 pieces of trash on an afternoon walk; we just ask that you spend today leaving the world just a little better off than it started. We know you have it in you…

TODAY WARSTIC WILL...

We're joining everyone today in spreading kindness to honor Clayton. We're donating 11% of today's sales to the American Indian Stic Warriors Fund, along with contributing to the fund started in his name by his local Young Life chapter to aid in the cost of attending camp. To continue with today's theme, we're also going to surprise 11 random people with Warstic Gear Gift Sets, as well as a few other acts of kindness throughout the day and into next week.