John Arrowsmith is the new executive director for Dignity U Wear, a non-profit organization which provides unused clothing for the needy.
ANY RELATION TO
THE BAND?
“No. If I was associated with Aerosmith, I probably wouldn’t be here.”
WHAT DOES HE DO
AS DIRECTOR?
“I oversee the entire operation. We all pitch in and do whatever we need to do. Our primary function is to solicit, warehouse and distribute new clothing at no charge to the recipients. To my knowledge, we’re the only place in the country that does this.”
HOW BIG IS THE WAREHOUSE?
“45,000 square feet. We’ve been here since November.”
WHO GETS THE CLOTHES?
“We focus on school age children because we feel it’s extremely important to have nice clothing to go to school. It makes them want to go to school because they’re not looked down upon. They learn better, get better grades and just respond better to the environment. Even though we focus on schoolchildren, we clothe everybody from infants to adults. Every year the amount we get doubles. Last year, 20,000 pieces a month were donated. This year should equate to half a million dollars in brand new clothing.”
HOW DOES HE LOCATE THOSE IN NEED?
“We work with guidance counselors, teachers, principals and social workers in the Duval County school system to identify students in need of clothing. They’re usually on free or reduced lunch programs. Any other individuals would go through an agency.”
HOW MUCH MANPOWER DOES HE EMPLOY?
“There are seven full-time staff people, including myself. The nice thing is that we’re able to keep our administrative costs less than three percent.”
WHERE DO THE OPERATING DOLLARS COME FROM?
“We’re a 501(c)(3) funded through individuals, corporations and grants. Recently, we entered into a partnership with Stein Mart. Wherever they have a store, they will select an agency for us to donate to. Soon we’ll be in 30 states across the country. Stein Mart helps us secure clothes through their vendors. We get clothing through [the vendors for] Izod, Sears, Universal Studios and Disney World. We don’t distribute directly to individuals.”
HOW ARE THE
CLOTHES DELIVERED?
“We distribute clothing through other nonprofits. Agencies that are in town will pick them up. For those that are out-of-town, we will ship it UPS.”
WHAT CHALLENGES
DO YOU FACE?
“Raising money to sustain operations, soliciting and obtaining new clothes and maintaining enough volunteers to run the organization. We are very dependent on volunteers. It’s kind of a team building experience, too, because they can work in groups.”
HIS BACKGROUND?
“I spent 30 years in corporate America. I started out in sales and moved up through sales management with Richardson Vicks, which is now owned by Proctor & Gamble. Then I spent 20 years with an organization called Tree of Life out of St. Augustine. I was the Southeast division president for that company. I moved from Tulsa, Okla., where I was the president of the division the company had bought out.”
WHY CHANGE CAREERS?
“When I left corporate America, I didn’t do much for about a year. I was bored with life and wanted to give back to the community by volunteering. The priest at my church told me I needed to talk to Henri Landwirth [the founder of Dignity]. I went to Henri and told him I wanted to volunteer on a full-time basis. Two days later I ended up being executive director. In my 30 years in the corporate world, I never received as much satisfaction as I have here, knowing I’m reaching out and touching thousands of lives and helping those in need. It’s extremely important to give back. I don’t think your life is fulfilled until you do that.”
EDUCATION
Born in Kansas City, Arrowsmith studied business administration at the University of Kansas.
FAMILY
Ponte Vedra Beach is home to Arrowsmith and his wife Margie. She owns Holmes Organization, an independent insurance firm. Their son, Brad, is a graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology and plans to return to Jacksonville soon to work with his mother.
HOBBIES
Arrowsmith keeps active by exercising and bicycling. He also enjoys boating, reading mystery novels, watching college basketball games and going to the beach. When he’s at home, he tunes into “Everybody Loves Raymond” or “CSI.” If he’s going away, he prefers it to be St. Martin Island or somewhere in Europe.
HIS PET PEEVE?
“People that are disorganized.”
— by Monica Chamness