Darius Brown is an amazing 12-year-old boy who loves dogs. In fact, he is so passionate about them, he started his organization, Beaux and Paws, which makes bow ties to help shelter dogs get adopted.
The bow ties help draw attention to the shelter dogs by prospective owners. "It helps the dog look noticeable, very attractive," he told the Today Show. "It helps them find a forever, loving home… I love everything about dogs and cats."
Darius has always been a very creative young man. From a young age, he has loved creating and designing things. At the tender age of two, Darius was diagnosed with developmental delays so his family encouraged his creativity.
About four years ago, his family discovered Darius has a special talent. His sister, Dazhai, was attending cosmetology school and making her own hair ribbons. Her then 8-year-old brother wanted to help. They soon realized Darius had a talent for sewing and it turned out that he was a creative genius with a needle and thread.
"With his fine motor skills, he wasn’t able to really use his hands well — tying a shoe was challenging," Dazhai told Today. "My mother and I came up with the idea that if he helped us with things like prepping the ribbon or cutting it, and sewing fabric together, it would help him. And it did — it worked!"
A lot of time and practice later, Darius began making bow ties for himself. He loved bow ties and wore them everywhere. People soon started buying his ties, and then came a flash of inspiration - Beaux and Paws was born.
For each purchase, Darius makes a donation to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and buys more fabric from the proceeds to continue with his efforts. He also gets some of his materials and supplies through donations from the public.
If you’d like to buy a bow tie to donate to his cause, you are not alone. His endeavor has captured the attention of former President Barack Obama, who reached out to the 12-year-old via a letter commending him for his philanthropy.
To date, Darius has donated hundreds of bow ties to animal shelters all over the United States and is currently fundraising so that he can produce and sell even more of them.
Reach out and give a LIKE to Beaux and Paws on Facebook or even better, buy a tie!
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