NEWARK, NJ — If you want to wax poetic about it, making bow ties is Darius Brown's way of fighting cruelty in a world that doesn't always have the resources – or willpower - to help the less fortunate. But if you ask him directly, the 11-year-old Newark entrepreneur's motivation is simple: he loves dogs.

Brown, who operates under the business moniker of "Sir Darius," is the founder of Beaux and Paws, a company that makes bow ties for canine companions (see photos/video below). He donates many of them to animal shelters throughout New Jersey and New York in an effort to give them something snazzy to wear for adoption photos. The technique works, he told Patch.

"When I see the shelter pups or rescue pups in my bowties I feel really good about them getting adopted faster," Brown proudly said. "A few times they got adopted while I was there and they went to their forever home with my bow tie on." It's an effort so inspiring that former U.S. President Barack Obama recently sent the 11-year-old a letter from in recognition of his community service.

"From founding Beaux and Paws to lifting up the lives of those around you, it's clear you are doing your part to look out for your fellow citizens," Obama wrote. "Know that I'm rooting for you in all you do, and I wish you the very best." Brown, a student at North Star Academy Charter School, lives with his mother, Joy Brown, and sister, Dazhai Shearz, who both help him manage Beaux and Paws. His sister, a hair and makeup artist, was the one who first got him hooked on bow ties when he was eight, recruiting him to help cut fabric. But soon, he was cranking out even better ties than his sister. And that's when he realized that it could be his way of making a positive impact on the world.

Here's how it all got started, Brown said:

"I started making bow ties for dogs during Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma. I saw all the devastation it caused and I wanted to do something to help but I didn't know what to do. A week or so later, I saw on Facebook that some dogs were being transported from Texas to the ASPCA in New York. I didn't have any money to donate because my mom just had a major surgery and was out of work for over a month, so I thought it would be a good idea for me to make bow ties for the dogs. I thought if they would wear the bow ties during adoption days, when people came to the shelter it would make them look more fun and fashionable and they could get adopted faster." But like many feel-good stories, there's also an element of sadness to the origin of Beaux and Paws.