In 2014, the two friends were looking for a way to pass the time during the BC teacher’s strike, and decided to make an ice tea stand. They had also learned that one of their close friends was dealing with health issues. “Our best friend has diabetes and when she told us, it really made us think about how lucky we are for the health we have,” said Taylor. They decided to donate their ice tea money to Ronald McDonald House, and while they only made $13.00 that day, it was the start of something big.

Their next fundraiser was a bake sale of homemade cupcakes, brownies and cookies, which raised $190 for Ronald McDonald House. In December 2015, they held another sale which raised $200, and they used that money to buy toys and games for kids staying at the House over Christmas.

They were able to drop their gifts off in person at the House, and see for themselves the difference they were making. “The first thing we noticed when we walked in the house were the smiles on the kid’s faces,” said Taylor. “We thought it was amazing how they were still happy even in a situation like that. That really said to us that this is an amazing place to stay.”

Now in Grade 7 at Hillcrest Elementary School, Taylor and Bryce are both part of the Think We program, a volunteer group that makes a difference in the Vancouver community and beyond. Through this program they have helped organize food drives, park clean-ups, a battery drive which collected over 10,000 batteries and counting, and fundraisers like a February candygram sale that raised over $1500.

Thank you Taylor and Bryce, and we can’t wait to see what you do next!