Clinton School graduate Chad Williamson (’10) sends along an article about past Clinton School speaker Dhani Jones, a former star NFL linebacker turned Travel Channel Host and philanthropist.
Williamson serves as director of philanthropy for Jones’ foundation, Bow Ties for a Cause, which makes bow ties to raise money and awareness for causes such as the fight against cancer.
In the article, which is posted on the University of Michigan sports website, Williamson talks about Jones’ nonprofit work:
The bow tie has become the inspiration for the Bow Tie Café in Cincinnati, the Bow Tie Cause foundation, and fundraisers that have sold 2,500 custom-designed bow ties and raised $130,000 for 13 charitable organizations since last May.
“It’s a fascinating thing, the bow tie has an amazing effect on a room,” said Chad Williamson, who works closely with Jones as his foundation’s director of philanthropy. “I have to admit, I didn’t get it until I saw it in person. The entire dynamic of a room can change, because it breaks the ice, it gets people talking, it puts people in this better mental space.”
Jones has become an expert in showing novices how to “rock” the bow tie, giving impromptu tying lessons at charity galas. He gets the men to shed their traditional ties, purchase a bow tie for charity, and then tie it on correctly.
Every bow tie designed by Jones comes with a message. And Jones puts a lot of thought into what he is trying to communicate.
“That’s what makes each tie special, when somebody asks you what it is, you can say, ‘See the white lines, those are the hash marks on a football field, showing we are advancing forward for Mott Children’s Hospital’,” Jones said. “People are then moved, they want to know more, they want to know how to help. And that’s the power of the bow tie, you get people engaged and inspired. You look good too.”
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