When any natural disaster hits, people around the world come together to help those who were devastated by the tragic events that unfolded. Whether it is rebuilding a family’s home, providing essential supplies, holding blood drives, or even opening their homes to those who lost theirs, people help people.
After the destruction of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma, people came together to help rebuild what was lost, with one young man going above and beyond, not only to help the people, but the animals too.
“Every time I watched the news, I would see that there were all these people getting hurt, but then I realized ‘how come there weren’t any dogs or cats being helped?’,” said Sir Darius Brown. “I was really stuck on that. I thought no one was helping the animals, and then a few days later I saw on Facebook that there were some dogs who were being transported from Texas to New York.”
Sir Darius Brown began to draft ideas of how he could use his skills and knowledge to help these animals in need. For a large portion of his young life, Brown grew up learning how to sew from his older sister. While she was making hair bows for ladies, Brown wanted to put his skills to the test and create bow ties for men; however, the start of his passion did come with some challenges.
“Every time I was visiting my sister on the sewing machine, I always wanted to help her, but because when I was younger, I was diagnosed with a fine motor skills delay and comprehension and speech delay, she was scared for me to use the machine because I might hurt my hands” said Sir Darius Brown.
After starting out, Sir Darius Brown began to overcome these obstacles and his bow ties began to take off. He used his new skills to make bow ties for dogs and cats that need to be adopted.
“I’ve always had an eye for bow ties because when you walk around, you don’t often see anyone really wearing a bow tie, but when you see one, it catches a person’s attention. You’re seen as a different person pretty much when wearing one.”
Through the years of making bow ties and being asked to speak at events, Sir Darius Brown isn’t really affected by the delays he experienced growing up.
“I don’t have much of a challenge anymore, because I basically grew out of it…I started to make bow ties and started speaking, and sort of doing public events, I started to grow better and grow out of the delays, pretty much.”
Now at 14 years old, Sir Darius Brown is the CEO and Founder of Beaux & Paws, a bow tie company for animals.
The appearance of a dog or a cat in a shelter or a rescue can make all the difference when it comes to adoption. According to a study conducted by the ASPCA, 27 percent of dog adopters believe that the way a dog looks is the most important factor in whether or not to adopt a dog.
Brown wanted to make sure animals that just went through a horrific experience stood out from the crowd, so he selected colorful fabric that would make his bow ties pop in pictures. From saving animals that were abandoned due to a natural disaster to saving those that came from horrible home situations, Brown made sure these dogs and cats shined on their darkest days.
“One of the dogs I worked with named Nikki was in an animal shelter I worked with for over five years, and it was horrible. When I finally gave him a bow tie, he was adopted two months later.”
Brown’s efforts to save as many animals as possible has not gone unnoticed. Former President Obama reached out to the animal welfare activist to commend him for his commitment in community service.
“I realized I was making a difference when I received a letter from President Barack Obama. It definitely gave me some inspiration and courage to just keep on making bow ties and using my mission in the best way possible.”
Brown continuously draws inspiration from the photos he receives of the animals in the hands of their new owners wearing the bowtie he handcrafted. As the entrepreneur continues to make an impact on the community, he stays true to his mission and has developed a heart of gold.
“I’ve grown into a better person and have come to realize that you can help in many more ways than one. I feel like if you really have a passion or you want to give back to your community, you can start now.”
As Brown grows older, his list of goals is beginning to grow long with hopes of expanding his business to more than just pet bow ties. With his sights set on bigger possibilities, he continues to stay true to his mission of saving as many dogs and cats that he can around the world.
Sir Darius Brown is raising funds towards his PAWSOME MISSION with the goal of shipping bow ties to animal shelters as well as visiting shelters in all 50 states. Starting in the Spring/Summer of 2022, he will continue where he left off prior to the COVID pandemic with his mission of visiting as many shelters around the United States as possible.
For now, the bow ties are being shipped to animal shelters. Because of his efforts, Brown was named a GoFundMe Kid Hero of 2020 and recently posted on Upworthy a GoFundMe Kindness Campaign.
To help Sir Darius Brown and animals around the world, you can purchase one of his bow ties on sirdariusbrown.com. Don’t forget to check him out on Instagram and Facebook (@sirdariusbrown) to follow his journey of helping animals in need.
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