Teen Entrepreneur Helps Thousands of Rescue Pets Find Homes with Custom Bowties
Sir Darius Brown has created well over 6,000 bowties for shelter pets, including a limited-edition accessory for the 2023 Clear the Shelters campaign
Brad Yurcisin/NBCU
Adoptable pets deserve to look dapper.
Sir Darius Brown is committed to helping rescue pets stand out and find forever homes. Since 2017 he has been creating bowties for cats and dogs in shelters to get the pets noticed by potential adopters.
"It was because of Hurricane Irma. I saw all the devastation happening, and I knew I wanted to help," Brown, 16, tells PEOPLE.
After his first batch of donated bowties had a "great effect" on the shelter pet recipentents' adoption rate, Brown dedicated himself to helping rescue animals.
"That's when I decided to make it my mission to help as many dogs and cats around the world as I possibly can," he says.
Beaux & Paws, the teen's pet accessories and lifestyle brand, donates a bowtie to a shelter animal for each bowtie purchased. Brown also has his PAW-SOME Mission, his effort to raise money and awareness for shelter animals through social media – which has generated more than $300,000 in donations to date.
Charles Sykes/AP Images
Now, the teen has found another way to help adoptable pets. He has teamed up with NBCUniversal Local's Clear the Shelters campaign as an ambassador and Hill's Pet Nutrition as a shelter advocate. Both roles are dedicated to helping rescue cats, and dogs find families, especially during the Clear the Shelters initiative, which runs until the end of August.
"I'm collaborating with Clear the Shelters by creating a limited edition special Clear the Shelters bowtie. That will be on my website and the NBC store, and a portion of the proceeds will go to the Clear the Shelters Fund," Brown says.
Related: After a Record-Breaking 2022, Adoption Event Aims to Find Homes for Even More Pets This Year
Brown hopes animal lovers always consider adoption when looking for a new furry friend because it is done "out of the kindness of your heart" and provides rescue pets with "a place of love and value."
The Clear the Shelters campaign is back for its ninth consecutive year. During the initiative, NBC and Telemundo-owned and affiliated stations across the county and Puerto Rico collaborate with over 1,200 local animal shelters and rescues to promote pet adoption and raise money for animal welfare.
Charles Sykes/AP Images
Last year, Clear the Shelters set a new record with 161,000 pet adoptions and raised over $540,000. Since the campaign launched in 2015, more than 860,000 pets have found new homes through Clear the Shelters.
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Clear the Shelters kicked off this year's campaign with an airlift with help from Greater Good Charities' "Good Flights" program, Hill's Pet Nutrition, and The Animal Rescue Site. The pet transport moved over 250 adoptable pets from overcrowded shelters to organizations in New Jersey and New Hampshire with space to care for the animals.
To learn more about Clear the Shelters and how to participate in the campaign, visit cleartheshelters.com.
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