by Sophia Wooden ’20

During this difficult time, a lot of high school students are struggling with a feeling of helplessness, as the future is currently uncertain. However, senior Ally Walsh has started helping her father sell masks for his athleticwear company, Lightning Wear Apparel. Clothing by the company is worn by school sport teams and sold in many stores all around the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area. 

Dan Walsh, Walsh’s dad, specializes in custom uniforms and sports apparel and founded the Kensington-based company in 2006. Fast forward fourteen years, and the company was lined up to provide uniforms for a sports team in New York. However, when Coronavirus halted the team’s season, they no longer required the uniforms, leaving Walsh with a surplus of fabric. However, the team decided it wouldn’t let the fabric go to waste, and instead ordered masks–New York, an area heavily hit by the virus, was left largely in need of such resources. Walsh then decided to use all the fabric no longer being used for regular apparel to make washable and reusable face masks. With designs varying from Maryland and USA flags to solid colors, and even a Montgomery County flag print, Walsh has produced masks for the government, construction companies, the secret service, lawnmower companies, and more. [Read til the bottom of this article to find the link to their site and a sweet surprise!]

As the orders started piling up, Ally and her sisters, sophomore Brooke  and eighth-grader Emma, decided to start helping their dad out.

“We manage online orders, which are 50 masks and below. He’s in charge of 50 and up and those [that] are custom with logos,” explained Ally.

On a typical day, they get 50 orders and work seven days a week, usually from morning to night. Ally helps out by sorting sizes, creating invoices, packaging, and printing labels, and every morning and afternoon she and her sisters drive to the post office to drop off packages.

The girls have now wired a phone into the house to pick up work calls. “I haven’t been able to talk with people for so long, so it’s nice to talk to so many different people and help them out,” said Brooke.

Described as a blessing in disguise, the opportunity has not only helped Ally to take her mind off upsetting things but also has given her and her sisters a glimpse of what a real job would be like and what it takes to run a business. Brooke even has decided that she wants to now take a step further and study business in college.

“This was something that I never would have expected to be doing, and it feels good to know that we are making a difference,” said Ally. 

This family affair has shown them also how grateful they are for all the sacrifices their dad makes by surrounding himself with so many people in the factory to help the greater good. Ally and her family have become a prime example of how during times filled with darkness, you can always find ways to improve someone’s life.

https://www.lightningwear.com/masks/  

Thanks to Ally for providing a coupon code of 20% off to help out her fellow Warriors!

Coupon code: warrior2020