(By Justin Kopp ’25, staff writer)
College students making all manner of peculiar wardrobe choices is nothing new, and the latest bit of fashion, a pink t-shirt that says, “I love LVC Moms,” has been turning plenty of heads on campus.
The man behind the shirts, senior actuarial and data science double major Ethan Dailey, has been selling “I love LVC Moms” shirts for the past three years. Originally conceived as a joke among friends, he was surprised to see so much interest in the idea.
“I was at lunch one day, and I said it’d be really funny if people were wearing shirts that said ‘I love LVC Moms,’” Dailey said. “At first, I didn’t think anyone would buy it. Then I showed my friends a design, and it turned out they were down to buy them.”
News of the shirts only spread by word of mouth the first time, but Dailey still managed to sell 27 shirts that year, even using the profits to pay for expedited shipping and distribute the shirts before Mother’s Day.
“It was my first time making and selling something,” Dailey said. “I’m usually just a math guy. In the grand scheme of things, the profits didn’t matter much. It just felt good to support moms.”
The following year, Dailey decided to incorporate a fundraising aspect into his shirt sale. He usually donates to METAvivor, a non-profit organization dedicated to funding research for stage four metastatic breast cancer (MBC), by participating in charity walks and runs.
Being away at college limits his participation, but selling shirts allows him to continue raising money for a cause he is connected to by his mom’s experience with stage four MBC.
During the second sale, he sold fewer shirts than before with 19. Donating $135 to METAvivor still made it a success in his eyes, but it didn’t keep him from making improvements for the next year.
He teamed up with junior Brock Stitley’s father to purchase the shirts at cost. Dailey also started advertising more and set up a table in Mund where he took orders.
His efforts paid off after selling a record 37 shirts this year, and he managed to donate $185.
“This time I was really surprised. I didn’t think I’d get nearly as many sales, but more people liked the idea and told each other about it,” Dailey said.
The shirts have been a hit with moms around campus as well, and a project that started off as a lunchroom joke has blossomed into a wholesome way for students to show their support.
“It was nice to know that moms themselves like it,” Dailey said. “Moms will come up to me at football games to tell me they like the shirt. A mom from Misericordia even saw the shirts while I was fishing with friends. She asked if we love Misericordia moms too, and my friend shouted back, ‘We love all moms!’”
Dailey will be graduating in spring 2024, but that doesn’t mean the t-shirt sales are guaranteed to end with him.
“One of my friends has been asking about LVC Dads t-shirts, so I gave him permission to create those in the future if he wants,” he said.
Regardless of whether they are parading around in “I love LVC Dads” shirts next fall, LVC students can always be counted on to creatively make an impact on their communities.