Introducing The Restore Project
Yesterday, I launched a brand new website – The Restore Project. It’s a dedicated site for my t-shirts. I’m really excited about both the site, and the future for The Restore Project.
Here’s the story…
Short Version
Immigration, walls, reform – most of us don’t have the solution. Through long talks with people from both sides of the aisle and the border, one answer rises above the rest…education.
The Restore Project combines our love of t-shirt art with a message and purpose. Each shirt carries a deep meaning and represents a child given the opportunity to attend school in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Central America.
My request is simple. Choose a message. Buy a shirt. Change a life.
The Long Version
Out of the ashes…
In 2010 a massive flood on the Rio Grande River devastated a community on the US and Mexico border known as “the Colonia”. The organization Strategic Alliance provided tons of rice, beans and supplies during this time.
The greatest need however wasn’t food. It was education. The families surrounding the Colonia survive by scavenging the central dump, yards from their homes. Most children could not attend school without assistance. A San Antonio church saw the need and stepped in.
A week before classes began 405 children were sponsored. All school and test fees were paid; school supplies, backpacks, new shoes, new uniforms, socks and underwear were provided. Escuela Viva (School Alive) was born! Today, through generous individuals and organizations, over 800 children are part of this program.
There will be a future.
Drug cartels compete to control the territory around the Colonia – especially human beings. Children as young as eight years old are recruited to become soldiers in the cartel. The temptation to join is overwhelming. Parents simply cannot afford to send their children to school.
Your purchase changes the destiny of that child.
A basic need met transforms a generation. Just a few dollars a day provides resources to educate, counsel and influence these youth in a positive way. Every purchase represents a donation to Escuela Viva, provides a way for children to rise above a life of rummaging through the trash to attain the necessities to live.
Each shirt sold declares a future for a child in Mexico.
The Restore Project
In early 2015, I designed and screen printed my first t-shirt in my garage. As has become my trademark, this first shirt was more than a cool design. It carried the message of hope and purpose. His hobby quickly turned into a small business. Bigger than my love of entrepreneurship and small business, I knew there was a larger purpose.
That Christmas break, Andy and his family traveled to the Colonia to build a home for a homeless family. Through the intense poverty, I saw the hope offered through Escuela Viva.
A purpose was born.
In 2016, several hundred shirts were sold, and over $1000 dollars was raised for Escuela Viva. Three children attended school because of your support!
In 2017, The Restore Project was created to continue to sell shirts and raise money for Escuela Viva. There will be a future in Mexico, and education is the key. We’re changing the world one t-shirt at a time.
Choose a message. Buy a shirt. Change a life.
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