Sophomore Tyler Greenberg is raising awareness and support for people with special needs through a business that was inspired by and named after two unique individuals.

Greenberg’s cousins, Jake and Max, are twins — both with Fragile X syndrome. Fragile X syndrome is a genetic disorder, most common in males, that causes cognitive impairment along with other symptoms. Greenberg said his cousins, along with the rest of his family, have always played an impactful role in his life.

“I’ve always just been really passionate about the special needs community because of them,” Greenberg said. “They’re the first story, and we’re going to keep sharing others.”

What started as an entrepreneurship class project at St. Thomas has turned into an independent company. Jake Max creates shirts that feature the artwork of people with special needs — artists Greenberg calls “Maximizers,” because he says they maximize happiness. With his company, Greenberg is raising money for organizations that benefit the special needs community and spreading awareness by sharing the stories of the artists.

“I love stories. I think it’s really cool to tap into why someone is the way they are,” Greenberg said. “Each artist is going to have a completely different perspective and style and design. So it’s also really letting them also feel empowered to be like, ‘Hey, I made this.’”

The company currently offers work from four different artists, including 13-year-old Megan Puglise, who was born with Down’s Syndrome. Her father, Mike Puglise, said that Megan’s artwork was inspired by her love for hockey and her brother.

“Her older brother plays hockey, and she has been in the ice rink since she was an infant,” Puglise said. “So we thought it would be a great opportunity to do a picture based on that.”

Puglise said that Megan and her artwork have an impact on everyone around her, even if they don’t know her.

“She interacts with everybody … and everybody loves her,” Puglise said. “I think it bridged the gaps because some people are taken aback by people with special needs or don’t know how to react to someone with special needs, and when they see someone like Megan doing stuff like that, it’s easy to be an ice breaker.”

Another artist, Adam Arnsten Delli-Bovi, has been painting since 2011. His mother Susan Arnsten-Russell said that Jake Max is an outlet for Adam as an artist as well as his family as a way to support him.

“Adam is very proud of being an artist,” Arnsten-Russell said. “A lot of people who know Adam were thrilled to be able to support Adam in that way by buying the shirts.”

Along with the parents of the artists, Greenberg’s goal is not only to keep expanding the business, but also to keep introducing more Maximizers into the company along with their art and stories.

“Everyone is [a person]. Everyone has a story, and everyone has the right for it to be told,” Greenberg said.

Kassie Vivant can be reached at viva0001@stthomas.edu.