Hunt for the Perfect Bows

Amelia and Annie Hunt are using their gift of bow-making for the greater good. What started as an art project blossomed into a small business, and ultimately into a philanthropic endeavor.

article by STARLA GATSON and photos by PRAJAL PRASAI

The turkey was carved, and all that remained of the pumpkin pie was a few crumbs. With full bellies, happy hearts, and a football game playing in the background, the Thanksgiving holiday drew to a close. As people across the country cleared their dinner tables, ready to trade in leaves and pumpkins for ornaments and trees, one Monroe family prepared to fill their table all over again.

This time, though, it would not be covered with a holiday feast. Instead, the Hunt family’s dining room table would be occupied by strips of brightly colored cardstock, glittery ornaments, and festive trinkets, as sisters Annie and Amelia get to work crafting and selling paper bows for the Christmas season.

Annie, 13, and Amelia, 12, first entered the bow business four years ago. “We wanted to wrap presents and stuff for fun,” says Annie. “We didn’t have any bows, so we looked up how to make them, and then we wanted to sell them. So, our mom posted on Facebook about it, and her friends bought them.” What began as a casual art project blossomed into a small business, and, after selling their handmade creations for fifty cents each, the two sisters found themselves with a decent profit and a question to be answered: what would be done with the money? According to both girls, though, the decision was clear. “We thought instead of using this money for ourselves, we could give it to someone who needed it,” Amelia explains. The first year’s earnings were used to benefit a young student at Lexington Elementary, and the money was used to buy Christmas gifts and necessary items, like clothes and shoes, for the child in need. “It was fun to go shopping for someone,” Annie recalls.

Each year since, the sisters have used the entirety of their profit to support a local cause of their choice. During their second year of bow-making, the Hunt sisters decided their profits — approximately $700 — would be gifted to a family friend who was battling cancer. “I called around to a few different local charities and gave them some choices,” says Annie and Amelia’s mother, Erin. “We talked about it for a while, and then, suddenly, Amelia is the one who remembered our friend who had cancer. She asked if we could donate it to their family.”

Last year, in 2018, the girls sold close to 2,000 bows and managed to earn $1,000. The amount raised was high, but not high enough to distract them from giving back; the sisters donated the year’s earnings to the DeSiard Street Shelter. This year, though they have yet to select a cause to support, Annie and Amelia are on a mission to raise even more funds than they did last year and began making this year’s batch of bows, which will be sold for a dollar apiece, in October.

The girls carve out time to make bows whenever they can — in the evenings, on weekends, and in moments of free time between soccer games and practices, church youth group activities, and hunting and fishing outings. Since their start, the two-person operation has grown into a group effort, and family members, friends, and neighbors often step in to help design and make bows, provide supplies, or help the girls stay organized. Annie and Amelia have even partnered with The Paper Market, where their bows are sold in-house, and for the past two years, the local party supply and stationery store has matched the girls’ earnings dollar-for- dollar.

The unique handmade bows come in a variety of colors, patterns, and designs, and are decorated with upcycled materials, including clippings from old Christmas cards, corks, pinecones, and seashells. “They’re both very creative, and I like to see what they come up with,” Erin says of her daughters’ bows. Though she is proud of their artistic abilities, Erin says she is most proud of the initiative Annie and Amelia have taken to help those less fortunate and the attitude toward charity that they have developed.

“The only thing I want for my children is to grow up and treat everyone like they would want to be treated and help others in need,” she says. “I don’t think that’s always easy to do. I think sometimes you have to look for ways to help — things don’t always just fall into your lap. So, I want my kids to grow up looking for ways to help and using their talents and their gifts.”

According to Erin, because both she and her husband grew up in families that valued generosity, they emphasized the value of serving others in hopes their own children would follow the examples set by their parents and grandparents. The Hunts’ dreams for their kids seem to be coming true, because for Annie and Amelia, using their gifts for the greater good just makes perfect sense. “It’s fun to make bows, and then if we can make money from it, why wouldn’t we? And we don’t need the money, so why would we keep it?” asks Annie. “It’s a good feeling when you give somebody something,” Amelia adds.

The impact their contributions make to those in need is not lost on the Hunt sisters. Both girls noted that the recipients of their donations were always touched by their generosity, and customers are always appreciative of their products. In addition to blessing those in need, the Hunts hope that Annie and Amelia’s bow-making business encourages others to spread generosity and kindness whenever and however they can. “Sometimes you just have to start small, like a little bow-making business,” Erin says. “It started out in their playroom as something fun to do, and we had no idea that it would turn into raising thousands of dollars to help needy people in our community. We just want people to be willing to look for ways to help others.”

It was writer and poet Kahlil Gibran who said, “There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward,” and for Annie and Amelia Hunt, this quote rings true. In the midst of the Christmas season, a time when many may search for happiness in the gifts they receive, the Hunt sisters are finding joy in generosity. They are proof that one is never too young to use their talents and abilities to give back, and the little things — even those as small as a paper bow — can make a big difference.

Annie and Amelia’s handmade paper bows can be purchased for $1 each and are available through their mother’s Facebook profile or in person at The Paper Market. To donate to the cause, bring attention to a local need, or for more information on the girls’ fundraising efforts, contact Erin Hunt.