Love this creative and cute idea! A mom down in Texas has created a line of teddy bears that helps teach young children letters, colors, and more in two different languages.
Dr. Tameka Maiden came up with the idea after trying to teach her then-1-year-old daughter, Tori, her colors. However, she wanted Tori to have more exposure to the world than just the English language. “Most kids don’t learn a second language until they’re in high school, so I was like, ‘How about I start them early and that way, they’ll have the foundation and by the time they get older, it’s something that they have and they can expand off of?” Tameka shared in an interview with PEOPLE.
Collin, Ryan, and Austin Gill wanted their own money to buy video games and toys. The brothers ended up starting their own candle business to fund their own wants. However, the business is now impacting their community in an amazing way.
The Gill brothers were encouraged by their parents to start their own business as other young people are beginning to do. “We asked our mom what her favorite thing to buy [is] … she said bath bombs, but there [were] too [many[ chemicals and there’s a lot of [processes], so the next thing she said was candles,” 11-year-old Ryan told InsideEdition.com.
Celena Gill, mom to the three boys, took a candle-making class to help teach the boys how to make their own. “Then we started testing each candle,” oldest brother Collin explained. “It took a couple weeks to get a good formula and once we started selling, we almost sold out the first vending event we had.”
The boys eventually named their business “Frères Branchiaux,” (pronounced “frair bron-shee-oh”) which is “Gill brothers” in French. They make all of their candles in their home in Indian Head, Maryland. Since they began their business, the boys have sold over 10,000 candles!
Though they certainly have enough money for their video games and toys now, the Gill brothers also made it a point to give back. They donate a part of their proceeds to homeless shelters in the Washington, D.C. area which is making a positive impact. “They have been really invested and being a part of a community will inspire kids to do the same thing,” mom Celena added.
The brothers are currently raising money to purchase their own candle truck. hope to expand their business soon with a candle truck. Their plan is to employ the homeless and create jobs through the truck as well. Incredible!
I love reading stories of people who are building their own businesses lately, especially young people, to help others in their families and their communities. This is another great one!
Sisters Amaya and Armani Jefferson have a baby sister named Taylor who is living with sickle cell anemia at just one year old. Taylor’s condition inspired 13-year-old Amaya and 12-year-old Armani to help their sisters and others living with the disorder. The two began their own business, Mani and Maya’s Fruity Treats, where they sell drinks like lemonade and smoothies. They donate a portion of their funds towards sickle cell research to the Medical University of South Carolina Children’s Hospital.
“What motivated me was seeing Taylor in the hospital sick and crying because she cannot really move around because of the IVs in her hand. So she’s like always sat because she really cannot go around and play a lot. So what motivates me is seeing her like that and wanting us to help her not get sick anymore,” Amaya told InsideEdition.com.
The two just started last year and already beginning to ship nationwide and expanding their menu. “It makes me feel good because we’re so young, We’re just 13 and 12 years old. And knowing that there’s not many kids doing what we’re doing, and that we’re so young and doing something so big it feels great,” Armani said.
Imperfectly B 