Hometown Heroes: "Under the Sea Slime by Em" Supports Special Needs Students
(OCEAN VIEW, Del.) - After watching her mom start a business, elementary school student Emma Lovellette decided to start a business of her own - one that gives back to special needs students.
The 10-year old business owner is reshaping a trending market.
“Slime is a craft that is really popular and lots and lots of kids like to play with it,” said Lovellette.
“I knew that I also wanted to help kids that have disabilities. When I told my parents that I wanted to donate it to kids with disabilities, they finally let me make a slime shop,” the young entrepreneur said.
Slime is the latest sensation among students around the country. It’s a squishy concoction of glue and other household products that stimulates the senses of users.
The gooey substance is used frequently in special education classes for kinesthetic learning purposes.
“The students, sometimes it’s hard for them to focus or attend to one task,” said Christina Reed, an Intensive Learning Center teacher at Lord Baltimore elementary school in Ocean View.
“If they’re able to kind of take that focus to something else, like slime where they’re able to touch it and feel it, then it kind of takes that wandering moment out of their minds. Then they’re able to attend to that task in front of them more thoroughly. The kids love it. That’s their favorite part of the day,” Reed said.
Emma’s slime is a special invention of her own making.
“I added in my own types of things that made it smell better and that made it more fluffy. We made our own logo and we made the fonts and stuff. It’s called Under the Sea Slime by Em.”
A clever idea that started at home, Emma’s Under the Sea Slime business was inspired by her mother becoming an entrepreneur.
“I started Cleverly Chic Boutique about a year ago. I wanted to pursue something that my daughter would eventually see me be successful at,” said Jennifer Lovellette.
“It’s a struggle as a woman and as a mother to balance life, in general. When I see her wanting to start her own business, it makes it all worthwhile.”
Every $100 Emma earns is matched by local businesses and donated to special needs programs in schools.
WRDE was at Howard T. Ennis elementary to capture the moment Emma and Frankford’s A&A Air Services donated $200 to the school.
“This year we’ve strived hard to give back to our community, give back to the community that supported us for 30 years,” said Mindy Townsend, a managing partner at the family-owned company. “Howard T. Ennis, of course, has been here right in our community. Giving back to not only show Em that people support her, but also give back to the schools.”
Emma’s ambition has left quite the impression on the community.
“For Emma to be such a young student, young entrepreneur at this point and to come up with such a good idea, I’m just glad to be able to support her,” said ILC teacher Christina Reed.
“Yes, at 10-years old you can start a business and you can give back to our community that’s given us so much,” said Jennifer Lovellette.
“I’m so proud of her and everything that she’s done and nd her heart, that she wants to give back to others.”