Brock Mielke, an AHS junior, recently opened a clothing line, sold online, called Brox21. Mielke sells shirts and hats. The hats are twenty five dollars and the shirts are twenty one dollars.

His clothing website, https://brox21brand.wixsite.com/shop, states, “My name is Brock and I have Down Syndrome. Down Syndrome occurs when an individual has a full or partial extra copy of chromosome 21. It may take me a little longer to learn things but in reality, we are more alike than different. I started my brand BROX21 because I refuse to put ‘dis’ in my ability. It’s important that everyone, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, and ability be treated equal. Take time to get to know individuals with different abilities. Everyone has a story, I’m hoping mine will change the world. Thanks for rockin’ my extra chromosome.”

Mary Beth, Brock’s mom, helps with the website and t-shirt line.

“When kids with special needs are going to graduate from high school, they ask you if you have any plans. Will they go to college? Do you want to stay at Arrowhead until age 21? And if they do stay until age 21, then they can do a transition program at Children’s Hospital [to] teach them different skills. So that was one of our thoughts. But when Megan, Brock’s sister, did a modeling thing for a girl who had Down Syndrome in her upper 20’s with her a clothing line. And when we were at that fashion show, Brock was walking in the show too and there were other kids with special needs that had their own little business like that other girl did. And Brock asked what they were doing and I told him that that girl had a jewelry line and that boy had a sock line. And then Brock said he wanted a business and he said he wanted to sell shirts and hats. It blasted off and that was a little over a year ago. But now when your at Arrowhead and you’re trying to figure out what he is going to do post-Arrowhead, that came back around. So then we talked about it a little with my sisters and brothers and nieces and nephews and that’s how we came up with this,” she said.

Brock and his mom have some long-term goals for the clothing line.

“I want to push it as far as we can. I think the ultimate goals is if this ever grew big, Brock could bring other kids or other people into the business who have intellectual disabilities to be employed through Brock’s 21,” she said.

Mielke said, “a percentage of the proceeds will go towards different charities. Our first place that we will donate our money to would be Wisconsin’s Upside Down. Also like Special Olympics, if there are kids with autism that can not afford to do it, we would just donate the money to them. We will just keep adding things as people make suggestions.”

AHS teacher, Heidi Hamilton, is Mielke’s teacher. She said she has some goals that she hopes Mielke will reach.

Hamilton said, “I love the idea of the donating to the charity, and it is something that Brock can be involved in for the rest of his life. It is an opportunity for him and other students who have special needs to be employed.”