Lucky Sprout kids' tees plant the seed of social consciousness

Lucky Sprout is a positive-messaging company whose "Be a Good Seed" message is communicated though children's T-shirts. Considering the plethora of ways that we receive information today, a positive message on the tummy of a little kid is one of the sweetest.

Launched in March by sisters Suzanne Premo, who designs the shirts in Seattle, and Cynthia Hanna, who oversees manufacturing in Ohio, the concept behind Lucky Sprout had been incubating between the two for two years before a chance encounter with local artist and former Montessori teacher Elizabeth Thieme brought the Lucky Sprout gang to life.

The whimsical cast of characters includes Lucky, Kaboing, Turbo and Piper, who each have their own distinct personalities. Lucky is helpful, Kaboing is handy, Turbo is precocious and Piper is sweet and caring. So far, only Lucky and Kaboing have their own shirts, which feature them participating in a good deed on the front (such as conserving water) with an important message on the back ("Every drop counts").

Premo and Hanna see Lucky Sprout as more than just a line of kids' tops. Premo describes the Lucky Sprout gang as "mascots for a socially conscious world." The company has partnered with four nonprofit organizations and designed a shirt specifically for each of them. "These 'good seed' nonprofits really drive our designs and messaging," says Premo.

A dollar from the sale of each of the $26 shirts goes toward its designated charity, which include Smile Train, an organization that provides free surgery for impoverished kids with cleft palates; Project Wet, a 25-year-old water education organization; Carolina for Kibera, founded in 2001 to help prevent religious and ethnic violence in Kibera, Kenya through youth sports programs; and the African Leadership Academy, a South African school that offers a program designed to foster entrepreneurial thinking.

Lucky Sprout uses 100 percent Ugandan-grown organic cotton T-shirts from Edun Live, owned by philanthropic rocker Bono and his wife Ali Hewson. This fall Lucky Sprout is partnering with Edun Live and launching a new design benefiting the Wildlife Conservation Society, an organization that has been dedicated to saving wildlife since 1895.

Each shirt comes in brown, red and natural and sizes six months to eight years. They are available at Smallclothes and online at www.goluckysprout.com.

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