Austin Baron stood in the rain for hours, his colorful homemade dog toys
arrayed on the table in front of him. But few people stopped to see what he was
selling. When the seventh grader left the outdoor event, many of his toys were
unsold. Despite this disappointing reception, Baron did not give up on his new
project, because he was doing what he felt passionate about: raising money for
hungry people around the world. Three years later, he’s grateful that he
persevered.
As a student at St. Theresa School in Ashburn, Baron enjoyed packing
meals for the hungry with the Cross Catholic Outreach program at school, but he
wanted to do more for a world struggling with hunger pains.
So in 2018, he took his outreach experience a step further. Combining
his love for dogs with his passion for helping others, Baron began Knot
Perfect, a project that involves making and selling dog toys.
Baron taught himself to make the toys from a YouTube video. The
foot-long toys are made by repeatedly tying square knots on a rope, leaving
fringe on the ends. “I named (my project) Knot Perfect because the world is not
a perfect place and people go to bed hungry at night,” Baron said. “And the
toys that I make aren’t perfect.”
Knot Perfect gives 100 percent of proceeds to Youth vs. Hunger, a Cross
Catholic Outreach program at St. Theresa’s school.
“I really enjoy packing meals through Youth vs. Hunger,” Baron said. “I
find it empowering that the same meals I’m packing go to feed the hungry around
the world. So I decided to have 100 percent of the donations go there.”
Despite a slow beginning, Knot Perfect has met with enormous success
over the years. Now a sophomore at Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn, Baron
has sold more than 500 toys, raising over $5,000 and providing over 20,000
meals to feed the hungry.
“All my life I’ve aspired to do things to help other people because
other people are really in need and we’re really blessed to have the things
that we have,” Baron said. “That’s why we’re on the earth, to help other
people.”
“The whole experience was a walk of faith,” said Baron’s mother,
Laurie, who encouraged him along the way. “The Holy Spirit has just provided
for Austin an amazing supportive group of people and community.”
The idea for Knot Perfect grew from Baron’s love for animals, especially
his family’s two dogs, Crash and Shamrock. The logo for Baron’s business, which
his older brother Hayden designed, features the family’s dogs. “It was really
nice to include our dogs in the business,” Baron said.
Baron asks a $10 minimum donation for each toy, which can provide 40
meals. The toys are sold at Catoctin Veterinary Clinic in Leesburg and at
several restaurants in Leesburg and Purcellville. He also sells them at fairs
and festivals. Baron said he has been overwhelmed by the generosity of those
who have donated.
“It’s really been awesome to see the community of people coming together
to donate,” he said. “I’ve had some really good experiences at the festivals.”
Laurie said people are motivated to donate when they see Baron’s hard
work. “All these donations are coming from people that are of all different
faiths, of all different backgrounds and just happen to be in Austin’s path,”
she said. “It really helps having Austin there for them to see someone his age
doing this.”
Baron’s dedication to service was recognized when he received the 2020
National Catholic Educational Association Youth Virtues, Valor and Vision
Award, one of only 10 students nationwide to receive it.
It was an unexpected honor to receive the award, Baron said. “It gives
me more encouragement to keep going forward and to help as many people as
possible.”
