As a teacher I have a soft spot for children's artwork. My room is covered in various signs, pictures, and messages all drawn by my students. I teach a quilting class to elementary school children and I adore watching them create their own quilts, design their own fabric, and become utterly proud of all their hard work. When I came across verymeri, I fell in love with it's concept: "verymeri hosts online design contests for kids all over the world. Kids submit ideas for tees, vote on their favorite, and the winning designs are made available for purchase on our website and in stores around the country. Winning designers receive 3% of sales of their design and choose the charity of their choice to donate an additional 3%." Wow. I simply love it. The idea that the child can pick a charity to donate to puts the responsibility of "giving" to the child; the earlier you start the idea of helping others, the more it will sink in. This concept reminds me a lot of my patch drives; children draw on patches which I sew into quilts and donate to Project Linus. What better a way to teach "community," "service," and "charity," than by having kids do what they love to do most: draw! I also love the idea that the public goes and votes on the shirts (I voted! Go vote!). And, let me tell you, this isn't one of those kitschy, silly t-shirt sites...these shirts are trendy, beautiful, and totally wearable. The designs are fresh, yet have classic moral messages meant to spread some sunshine. If t-shirts are the new billboard, than I'd buy anything these shirts are selling me!
They have children and adult sizes in a variety of styles and colors. I can't wait to order some!
PS. They also help out with fund-raising for organizations!
