Founder & CEO of Pet Accessories & Lifestyle Brand Beaux & Paws Serving as Campaign Ambassador & Hill’s Pet Nutrition Shelter Advocate
Brown’s Signature Pet Bow Tie Collection to Feature Special Limited Edition ‘Clear The Shelters’ Design
Ninth Annual Nationwide Pet Adoption & Donation Campaign Begins Tomorrow, Tuesday, Aug. 1
NEW YORK – (July 31, 2023) – NBCUniversal Local today announced award-winning 16-year-old entrepreneur, philanthropist and shelter pet advocate Sir Darius Brown is joining its 2023 Clear The Shelters nationwide pet adoption and donation campaign as an ambassador and serving as a shelter advocate for Hill’s Pet Nutrition, the national sponsor of the monthlong initiative that begins tomorrow, Tuesday, Aug. 1.
Brown is the founder and C.E.O of Beaux & Paws, a pet accessories and lifestyle brand that raises funds and donates merchandise – including his signature pet bow ties – to benefit pets in animal shelters across the nation. As part of his role with NBCUniversal Local, he designed a special limited edition Clear The Shelters pet bow tie, which is available for purchase online at Beaux & Paws and at The Shop at NBC Studios. As a campaign ambassador, he will also serve as a Clear The Shelters spokesperson and participate in events.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to join forces with NBCU Local’s Clear the Shelters as campaign ambassador and Hill’s Pet Nutrition as shelter advocate,” said Brown. “We share the same mission, making this a PAWfect match to create a brighter future for shelter pets. This year we are determined to make a PAWsitive impact by helping find pets new homes and raising funds for the shelters and rescues who care for them.”
Brown’s extensive efforts to improve animal welfare are led by the specially designed, handmade bow ties that he began creating in 2017. For each bow tie purchased from Beaux & Paws, he provides one to shelter pets to help them get noticed by potential adopters and find new homes. Through his PAW-SOME Mission, Brown also assists shelter pets by participating in events, generating content and raising money – which has resulted in more than $300,000 to date. He also now donates food, treats, bowls, toys, and other items to shelters.
A New Jersey native and dog lover, Brown became committed to helping shelter pets after learning animals displaced by natural disasters were arriving at shelters in his area. An experienced bow tie designer, he decided to use his skills to benefit animals in need. Brown’s successful efforts have earned him several awards and accolades, including The Global Child Prodigy Award in 2022, and received a letter of recognition from President Barack Obama in 2018. His book, Project PAWsome: Saving Shelter Pets One Bow Tie at a Time, will be published Sept. 5 and is now available for pre-order.
NBCUniversal Local’s Clear The Shelters returns for its ninth consecutive year through Aug. 31. As part of the initiative, NBC and Telemundo owned and affiliated stations across the U.S. and Puerto Rico partner with local animal shelters and rescues to promote pet adoption and raise much-needed funds. Since its 2015 inception, Clear The Shelters has helped more than 860,000 pets find new homes. The 2022 campaign established a new single-year record of more than 161,000 adoptions, while raising more than $540,000.
Hill’s Pet Nutrition, a global leader in science-based pet nutrition, is the lead national sponsor for the sixth consecutive year. As part of Clear The Shelters, Hill’s Pet Nutrition is providing adoption kits to help new pet parents and their pets get a healthy start on their new life together. Kits containing starter bags of Hill’s science-led nutrition, coupons, pet-parenting tips and other supplies will be available at select shelters.
The 2023 Clear The Shelters will again feature online donations through Greater Good Charities, a global nonprofit and longtime campaign partner, which will host the fundraising campaign, built courtesy of Fundraise Up, an online donation platform that helps nonprofits grow revenue. Donors have the option to cover transaction fees so that 100% goes directly to the shelter or rescue of their choice. Online donations can be made during the campaign at ClearTheSheltersFund.org. In addition, Hill’s Pet Nutrition and The Animal Rescue Site are providing additional donations to support shelters through The Clear The Shelters Fund.
Virtual pet adoptions are also returning for the fifth consecutive campaign through WeRescue. The WeRescue app enables users to browse adoptable pets in their area by breed, gender, size and other factors, submit their adoption applications and ask questions directly to shelters through the app.
For more inform on Clear The Shelters, including participating animal shelters and rescues, along with details on local events, visit ClearTheShelters.com and the Spanish-language site DesocuparlosAlbergues.com. Follow Clear The Shelters on social media:
- Twitter @ClearTheShelter
- Instagram: cleartheshelters
- Hashtags: #ClearTheShelters & #DesocuparLosAlbergues
About Clear The Shelters
Clear The Shelters™ / Desocupar Los Albergues® is an annual, nationwide pet adoption campaign that is spearheaded by NBCUniversal Local, a division of NBCUniversal. Every year, NBCUniversal Local’s NBC and Telemundo owned stations, plus affiliated stations, partner with animal shelters and rescues in their communities promote pet adoption and raise needed funds. NBCUniversal Local’s Clear The Shelters campaign was inspired by a 2014 North Texas pet adoption event hosted by NBC 5 / KXAS and Telemundo 39 / KXTX and dozens of area shelters that resulted in the most adopted pets in one day for North Texas. Since 2015, Clear The Shelters pet adoption campaign has resulted in more than 860,000 pet adoptions. Visit ClearTheShelters.com and DesocuparLosAlbergues.com for more information.
About NBCUniversal Local
NBCUniversal Local is NBCUniversal’s local media division that delivers English and Spanish-speakers and bilingual audiences in 31 U.S. markets and Puerto Rico, the very best in local sports, news, weather, consumer and investigative reporting, and lifestyle entertainment across any platform and screen. NBCUniversal Local is comprised of three individual media groups including the NBC Owned Television Stations, the NBC Sports Regional Networks and the Telemundo Station Group. The division is also home to multicast networks LX News, COZI TV and TeleXitos, the regional cable news network NECN, a MeTV station, as well as NBC Spot On, an advanced video advertising business designed for local/regional CTV and OTT advertisers and several in-house companies including production company LXTV, marketing and promotions company Skycastle, its out-of-home business NBC Everywhere, and the Arthouse, a graphics design group. With five regional sports networks and 43 NBC and Telemundo stations serving 38 percent of U.S. homes, NBCUniversal Local is the only network-owned local media division that is home to the largest bilingual local newsrooms within the country’s top 10 TV markets. NBCUniversal Local’s stations and networks serve diverse audiences and communities across linear, streaming, OTT, digital web, mobile and audio, and cable platforms and work together to keep local audiences informed anytime and anywhere. For more information, visit NBCUniversal.com.
About Hill’s Pet Nutrition
Founded 75 years ago with an unwavering commitment to science-led pet nutrition, Hill’s Pet Nutrition is on a mission to help enrich and lengthen the special relationships between people and their pets. Hill’s is dedicated to pioneering research for dogs and cats using a scientific understanding of their specific needs. As a leading veterinarian recommended pet food brand, knowledge is our first ingredient with 220+ veterinarians, PhD nutritionists and food scientists working to develop breakthrough innovations in pet health. Hill’s Prescription Diet therapeutic nutrition plus our everyday wellness product line, Hill’s Science Diet, are sold at vet clinics and pet specialty retailers worldwide. For more information about our products and nutritional philosophy, visit HillsPet.com.
MEDIA CONTACT
Brian Potter
Brian.Potter@nbcuni.com
