13-Year-Old Sews Bow Ties To Help Shelter Animals Get Adopted

This 13-year-old philanthropist from Newark, New Jersey has been working tirelessly to help shelter animals across the country get adopted by making them handcrafted bow ties.

Darius Brown’s sister first taught him how to sew so he could improve his motor skills as a youngster. As he became more and more talented with his needlework, she suggested he use his newfound skill to start sewing bow ties.

Shortly after Darius started crafting the spiffy little accessories, Hurricanes Harvey and Irma hit Texas and Florida—and the teen was heartbroken by the amount of animals who were left without homes after the storms.

He then resolved to help the shelter pets find their forever families by making them personalized bowties.

He figured that if the cats and dogs could look extra dapper for potential adopters, they would be more likely to find a home—and he was right.

Since Darius began his labor of love, he guesses he has made as many as 500 bow ties. Not only that, he says that the accessories have helped more than 100 dogs and cats find forever homes.

As more and more animal shelters reached out to Darius about getting their own shipment of ties, he launched a GoFundMe campaign in June 2019 in order to raise more money for fabric and supplies.

His crowdfunding page has since raised more than $50,000 and earned him the GoFundMe Hero title for January 2020.

If you want to check out more of his work, you can visit his Facebook, Instagram, or website.