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All photos property of Character Bee, LLC - 2008
'Main Street' Mom Encourages Character Over Corruption
Bankruptcy, Bailouts & Begging Are Out; Kindness, Creativity & Courage Are Back
Clinton, South Carolina, January 2009 -- Americans have been bombarded with bad economic news originating with corruption and greed on Wall Street. But, one small-town mom has heard and seen enough. She has created Bee-Tees, a line of clothing for children and adults touting messages such as 'bee kind,' 'bee fair,' 'bee inspired,' and 'bee honest.' Bee-Tees are available in numerous designs that can be viewed on the website Bee-Tees.com. The t-shirts sport an animated bee with a positive message of character or motivation. The idea was created when Melissa Patton, a mother and business owner, was searching for way to teach her preschooler about positive character traits.
"I'm just a Mom who was looking for way to connect with my daughter on a daily basis through thoughtful conversation about the things that truly matter in life: kindness, honesty, fairness and friendliness," Mrs. Patton says. Bee-Tees have become an enjoyable way for this mom and daughter to experience a teachable moment in the morning. "I take this time to share my advice and life experiences with Lena. I explain to her that 'beeing fair' means sharing her toys and giving everyone their turn.”
Mrs. Patton hopes that wearing a Bee-Tee will remind her daughter and others about the importance of positive character. “When Lena began wearing Bee-Tees other Moms began to ask about the shirts and wanted to find out how they could share this experience with their child. This was the origination of
Bee-Tees.com.”
The children’s Bee-Tees have generated such enthusiasm that Mrs. Patton made a few adult versions such as (‘bee creative’, ‘bee involved’, ‘bee yourself’, to name a few) for herself and friends. "Once I realized that Bee-Tees was giving us quality time together, I wanted to show others through adult Bee-Tees that we all need a little dose of old fashioned goodness!"
Bee-Tees also feature a bee on the left rear shoulder with an imprint saying 'back your bee.’ “This imprint ‘back your bee’ means you’re not just wearing a cute t-shirt that says ‘bee kind’, but that your daily actions will demonstrate kindness to others” explains Mrs. Patton.
Bee-Tees.com allows viewers to order Bee-Tees and “bee” inspired to learn about positive character. It also features a ballot to vote for your favorite Bee-Tee and also vote for the next design to be introduced and further allows the viewer to tell their story of teachable moments with their child. "I really want to make the site interactive. I hope the website will be an outlet for moms and kids to visit and learn about positive character.”
A chat room, blog, and coloring pages are in the works for Bee-Tees.com, as well as games, books and character education tools. The idea is for others to be motivated by Bee-Tees and catch the buzz for positive character.
"I've had meaningful conversations with people in grocery checkout lines and restaurants about what character is and what the Bee-Tee I'm wearing means to me. And, of course, this is really what we need more of today--meaningful conversation," Mrs. Patton said.
For further information on Bee-Tees, contact Melissa Patton at 864-923-7924, email melissaopatton@hotmail.com or visit www.Bee-Tees.com.
Bee-Tees was created in 2008 by Melissa Patton as an avenue to help communicate positive-character skills to preschool age children.
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Press Releases
UPSTATE PARENT MAGAZINE
March 2009
Bee-Tees featured as a new product
MEDIA BUZZ
