Wags to Riches: Chelsea student starts a nonprofit to benefit animals
One day last summer while visiting her great grandmother, Emma Borders noticed that her dog, Dorothy, had torn up a stuffed owl and decided she wanted to fix it.
“Owls are my favorite animal, so I patched its eye and stitched up where it had been torn,” she said.
The soon-to-be 9-year-old is a third-grader at Chelsea Park Elementary. Even at her young age, Emma had some sewing experience, as her mom, grandmother and great-grandmother all sew and she has learned from them.
After mending a few more of Dorothy’s dog toys, Emma decided to turn her love of creativity and her ability to sew into her own nonprofit business: Rags to Wags. Not only does she make repairs to the stuffed animals, she also gives them a new look by using her imagination.
“When I first see them, I think what I can make them into,” she said.
Other animals Emma has repaired include a purple whale, which she gave googly eyes and a golden crown; a panda that received some upgrades after she watched the movie Kung Fu Panda; and she transformed another animal into a butterfly with wings.
After her parents shared Emma’s hobby on Facebook, her business took off. People they knew began sending Emma animals to repair, and she received over 20 in a short period of time.
Emma’s dad helped her come up with a name for her business: Rags to Wags, while one of her mom’s friends created a logo for her. It features a bumblebee bear, which is from one of her first creations. Emma begins by repairing what needs to be fixed, such as adding more stuffing or sewing a tear, then adds special touches like felt, googly eyes, rosy cheeks and even scents. She enjoys giving the animals a new look and new personality.
Of all the animals she has repaired so far, Emma said it’s the owl named Hope, her first, that is her favorite. A close second is a bear ballerina with a pink tulle skirt.
Once she is done with repairs, the animals head back to their owner. On them is a tag from Emma featuring her logo and information about her business that reads: “A creative venture of love by Emma Borders. Reimagining and mending your pet’s beloved toys, she repairs them with her tiny hand and huge heart. All proceeds are donated to social animal shelters. Thank you for your support in teaching ingenuity and compassion.”
She charges $3.50 per repair and she said the time she spends working on each animal varies, depending on each individual case.
“It usually takes me about one day working on it because I usually take breaks, but if I don’t, it takes me about an hour,” she said.
After having collected money for the first round of repairs, instead of keeping it for herself, Emma decided to donate it. Since her family’s two chihuahuas, Chunk and Cricket, were both adopted from the Shelby Humane Society, that’s where she wanted her money to go.
When Emma took her first donation October, her mom also pitched in with bags of dog and cat food to go along with it. In addition to her donations, Emma says she would also like to volunteer at the humane society.
“One thing I want to do is get to walk the dogs there,” she said.
Emma’s mom, Jessica Borders, who owns Eyes on Chelsea Vision Care, said her daughter loves animals and would like to be a veterinarian someday.
“I’m proud of her and that she chooses to donate the money,” Jessica said. “She is quite the artist.”
Jessica said that in the future they may advertise Emma’s business at their vet and local pet stores. For now, customers can drop off and pick up their stuffed animals at Eyes on Chelsea Vision Care at 10699 Old Highway 280. They can also have them shipped back for $4.95. For questions or information, email ragstowags11@gmail.com.