Company History
Fall, 2004 - Annie creates "Wheelchair Heart symbol" for a dorm t-shirt at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. With the help of graphic designer Sean Frangella of Viytale Designs, her vision is perfected.Spring, 2005 - Annie gets the wheelchair heart symbol tattooed on her right shoulder blade by a tattoo artist named "Lunchbox" in Champaign, Illinois.
May, 2006 - Annie and Stevie graduate from undergraduate college. Annie moves to Chicago to pursue a graduate degree in Disability Studies at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Stevie moves back home to work for the family business.
Summer, 2007 - Annie and Stevie secure legal rights to wheelchair heart symbol and
incorporate 3E Love, LLC. Begin selling t-shirts as a means to pay the startup costs.
July 2007 - 3E Love and the symbol are introduced to the disability community at Chicago's Disability Pride Parade. The Original Heart Tee is offered in Blue, Black, and Pink.
January 20th, 2009 - Annie passes away due to complications from a feeding tube
placement.
May 2009 - Stevie returns to Lunchbox the tattoo artist to get the wheelchair heart symbol tattooed over his heart.
July 2009 - Dozens of Annie's friends and family march in the Disability Pride Parade to honor her memory.
July 2007 - 3E Love and the symbol are introduced to the disability community at Chicago's Disability Pride Parade. The Original Heart Tee is offered in Blue, Black, and Pink.
January 20th, 2009 - Annie passes away due to complications from a feeding tube
placement.May 2009 - Stevie returns to Lunchbox the tattoo artist to get the wheelchair heart symbol tattooed over his heart.
July 2009 - Dozens of Annie's friends and family march in the Disability Pride Parade to honor her memory.
August 2009 - Stevie decides to pursue 3E Love full-time and expands to bags and a new t-shirt and the LOVE design. The 3E Love Wheelchair Heart Facebook Page is born and 3E Love web store are born.
September 2009 - Hooded sweatshirts are designed and sold for the first time.
September 2009 - Hooded sweatshirts are designed and sold for the first time.
November 2009 - Stevie takes 3E Love outside of Chicago for the first time, bringing it to Atlanta for the Abilities Expo.
December 2009 - 3E Love has its first holiday sale season, selling items all over the country and to Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. 3ELove.com is updated and given a professional makeover.
January 5, 2009 - 3E Love buys its own screen-printing equipment.
January 20th, 2010 - The International Day of Acceptance is created, in memory of Annie and her social message, asking the world to "wear their heart on their sleeve."
April 2010 - 3E Love announces Project Everywhere, a plan to reach every country and have at least one symbol in every zip code in the United States.
Spring / Summer 2010 - Stevie takes 3E Love on the road, traveling to Los Angeles, Nashville, Houston, and New York for conferences and expos.
Fall / Winter 2010 - The second holiday sale sells over 1,000 orders worldwide.
January 20th, 2011 - The 2nd Annual International Day of Acceptance grows. More and more people embrace the wheelchair heart symbol and the 3E Love message.
Spring / Summer 2011 - Stevie hits the road for the second year in a row, taking the 3E Love message over 10,000 miles with him.
August 2011 - Project Everywhere Update. 3E Love has reached all 50 states, 4% of zip codes, and 20 countries.
November 2011 - The future of 3E Love is born with a brand new web site and dozens of new products and programs. 3E Prints, 3E Diaries, 3E Ink, and Stevie Speaks are born.
