Well, these days most men don't know how to tie a bow tie.

You can learn on the internet or you can meet Charlotte's own bow tie man, Darrin Gleaton who tries to teach everyone he meets.

It's pretty hard to miss him because he's always making a statement.

"Carolina Impacts" Dara Khalid and videographer, Marcellus Jones show us how he combines his many talents to make a positive impact.

- "Roger struggled a lot with being a bee "and wanted to be something different "to feel better about his self."

- [Dara] It's his signature look.

A bright yellow bow tie covered in colorful insects, an eye-catching hat, a shiny gold watch for some flare and a book.

- "Spike!

Spike!

"Look!

I got extra legs, Roger screamed."

- [Dara] If kids aren't dazzled by his fashionable appearance, the books Darrin Gleaton Sr. reads are sure to do the trick.

- You see it?

Yeah, they found the shell.

- [Dara] And the books you see him reading aren't just any old books off the shelf.

They're ones he's written, like this one, "Just Bee Yourself", that has a message he wants kids to hold onto.

- What did we learn?

We learned that you are cool just like you are.

You don't have to be something different.

You don't have to be anything else.

- [Dara] The 32-year-old just published his fourth children's book called "Stuck in Her Shell".

He's read his books at over 12 schools across Charlotte and has given dozens of them away.

But this particular stop here at Gleaton's Learning Academy is extra special.

- Oh, I'm a proud mom.

I'm excited and I take great pride in him being able to read to children going to schools.

That's great.

- [Dara] Priscilla Gleaton watches her son with joy as he reads to kids at her childcare center.

It reminds her of moments years ago that she spent with Darrin and his older brothers doing the same thing.

- I always told him, you've gotta be able to read.

And he's doing it and he's teaching others to do that.

So that's great.

- [Dara] And she's not the only one who notices the impact he has on little ones.

- It's beautiful, just to hear them come home and say, "Nana, I did this today."

Or, "Darrin came and read us a book, Nana," or "we talked to Darin."

They love him.

- [Dara] Although Darin loves to make other kids smile, his whole journey of being an author started by him wanting to make his own kids smile.

- My oldest son, he actually is an artist and he loves math but struggled a little bit in reading.

So what I wanted to do is show him if I'm writing the books and you think I'm cool, then reading is cool.

- [Dara] Well, did it work?

- Yeah, I am getting better at reading.

- [Dara] So not only did his first book, "You Can Be Fly", help his son do better in the classroom, but it encouraged Darrin to keep on writing.

He sold over 300 copies of his four books, which can be found worldwide, literally.

- My books are in Australia, they're all over the world.

I have them on Barnes and Nobles, Books A Million, Target, Walmart, online.

- [Dara] And his accomplishments aren't just for him.

- This is something that he can show his children's children, children children or when I'm gone he can show them the back of the books.

Him on the back of the books.

- [Dara] Well, Darrin's 13-year-old son who shares his name didn't just inspire his dad to become an author.

- I wanted to change my swag into more suave and distinguished and not look like a child having a child.

And I started wearing bow ties.

- [Dara] But there was one small problem.

- I didn't know how to tie a bow tie.

So I was working at one of my part-time jobs and it was a guy who came in and he had a bow tie on and I asked him, I was like, hey, can you teach me how to tie bow tie?

He was like, "Of course."

- [Dara] From there, Darrin went home and began practicing in the mirror using his dad's bow ties.

And one day the light bulb went off.

- I was just tying them on myself and I was looking like, man, I wanna make bow ties.

- [Dara] Simple as that.

He started his business Swag Bows in 2012, where he handpicks the eclectic fabric.

Each bow tie needs around nine inches of it.

- [Darrin] I'm like a kid in the candy store when it comes to fabric.

- [Dara] Then he sows each one by hand.

(sewing machine stitching) Every month he makes around 40 bow ties.

Some are sold, others are given away to boys who need guidance and men coming out of incarceration.

- But when they leave, or they go to an interview or they have any kind of function, they can wear that bow tie and tie it.

And then people will come up and like, "Hey, that is that a clip on?"

No, I actually tied this.

- [Dara] And the part many enjoy most is the free from Darrin on how to tie the bow ties.

- That brings joy in my life.

Teaching somebody something else.

Being able to teach somebody a skill that they can show their child.

Being able to show somebody something that can help them move forward in their life or their career.

- [Dara] So whether he's chilling in dad mode with his son or giving back in the community, his compassion is just like his books and bow ties.

Bold.

For "Carolina Impact", I'm Dara Khalid.