We want your BOTTLES!

Hey everyone!

It's officially the summer!! Hurray!! Time to celebrate!! In honour of the upcoming long weekend and the start of summer holidays, we've decided to put our fundraising efforts into something 'seasonal'. We are starting an 'ongoing' summer bottle drive collection!! We know bottles tend to pile up throughout the summer and it's sometimes a hassle to take them in for the couple dollars you might get in return. So, why not donate them to our Reading Room campaign and know that they're going to a great cause?? What could be better - you don't have to wait in line for a measly couple of bucks, and you can be rest assured that those dollars are going directly towards helping to provide books for hundreds of children! Win - win!

So instead of driving around the neighbourhood on one particular weekend, we are kindly asking you to keep us in mind when you notice that you have a pile of empty bottles you want to get rid of. Let us know and we will gladly come to collect them! Every bottle is a little something, and it all adds up in the end, right?! Email us at thedriveto25@hotmail.com or facebook message us to get in touch.

We really appreciate your support - let's make this a successful fundraising summer event! Please pass this along to your family/friends/neighbours or anyone you think can contribute. The more people who know, the better! If you're at a party, why not suggest putting the empties aside to donate? We'll happily come to get them from you!!

Thank you, thank you!! Looking forward to seeing you and your bottles this summer :)


Melissa and Laura

Another Book Donation!

With several generous donations of children's books, both new and used, we had a collection of 226 books lying around in our basement. Some were left over from our garage sale, and some were donated afterwards. What were we going to do with them? It didn't take long to figure out where we wanted to them to go and who we wanted to benefit from them. We chose SickKids Hospital in Toronto!

Beyond the amazing work and care that goes on at SickKids on a daily basis, we have a personal connection with the hosptial that made us want to include it in our 'drive'. We were born 2 months premature, each with our own set of medical difficulties. Immediately after we were born, Melissa was rushed to SickKids where she spent the first ten days of her life. Yes, we were separated right at birth... that's probably one of the longest times we've ever been apart! Our mom has always said that the staff at SickKids were wonderful and called her several times a day with updates. A small relationship, but one nonetheless. There are so many brave and inspiring children who call this hospital a second home, and we wanted to give back to them in our 'Drive to 25'.

So today, we drove to SickKids and dropped off four boxes filled with an assortment of colourful picture books, big and small board books and chapter books for early readers. Everything from Franklin to Dora to learning your ABC's; even the Berenstain Bears, a personal favourite of ours! We couldn't have picked a hotter day to carry in two loads of heavy book boxes, but we managed! After discussing with the super friendly Donations Coordinator, we organized that the new books would be benefitting the Child Life Program. This means that the 154 new books we donated will be distributed among the Reading Rooms and play rooms in the hospital for patients to read and enjoy. The 72 used books will be donated to the Women's Auxiliary, who will sell them within the hopsital, with all of the proceeds going towards SickKids. We remember the excitement that comes from reading a new book and hope that this donation will create many similar experiences. It definitely makes us smile knowing that so many children will be able to share one of our favourite childhood pastimes while away from the comforts of their own home.

Here we are at the hopsital with our book donation:

We couldn't be happier to have included SickKids Hospital in our 'Drive to 25' and to continue to spread the joy of reading! Just being in the hospital, we could see the enthusiastic, positive and inspiring energy that we know is making a difference in the lives of so many children. We are proud to have contributed, even in a very small way, to this encouraging environment. What a special day; one to remember!

Our First Sale!!!

Today, we made our first sale!!!!!! We've been baking for a long time now, but today we officially sold our first goodies - two pies!!!! More than that, we're most excited that all of the money we raise is going directly towards our Reading Room!!

This morning, we were so happy to make an apple and a pecan pie for Mr. Usher's family lunch. They were still a little warm when he picked them up - YUM! Thanks for thinking about us, Rick, and for donating to our cause. You're the first of hopefully many more!

Here's a look at the pies and our little 'thank you' note...

We look forward to many more opportunites like this one - we want to BAKE FOR YOU! Get your orders in today :)

Fun.. Fun.. Fundraising!

Hey everyone!

So we've realized that our fundraising has slipped a little bit. Even though we know that's an inevitable part of fundraising, we need to kick it up a notch! Our most updated total, as of today, is $2000. In only three and a half months!!! We're super excited about this and thank everyone who has already donated! That being said, we still have a long way to go! Even though the $5000 we need to build our Reading Room in Laos seems so far right now, we know can do it! But, we need your help! Even the smallest amounts go a long way!

We've been racking our brains for some exciting fundraising ideas and here's our latest plan. We're offering up our culinary/baking skills!!! Why not put a passion of ours to good use?? After the massive success of our cupcakes at our garage sale (they were literally gone in like 20 minutes), we figure this could be the start of a new venture for us! So, if you need to bring a cake to that family bbq and can't seem to find the time, energy or would simply rather be out enjoying the sun, then you've found your match! Maybe you want to support a good cause and get a tasty treat in return - we can help! We are up to the challenge of meeting your baking needs - just let us know and we've got you covered! Cookies, cakes, cupcakes, pies, muffins, loaves, etc.etc.etc... ALL of the proceeds will go towards our Reading Room campaign.

We are incredibly excited about this fundraising effort! It's a win-win-win for everyone! We get to bake our hearts out (yay!), you get to enjoy your creations (yum!), and we get one step closer to building our Reading Room, which will provide more happiness than we can all imagine!

So there you have it! Let us know what you've been craving or how we can fill your sweet tooth! Take a look at our blogs from our Cake Decorating course for some inspiration! Otherwise, email us at thedriveto25@hotmail.com or message us on Facebook. We can't wait to get started!!!

**As always, if you don't have a sweet tooth like us, we'd love it if you could make a donation to our Reading Room Campaign. Anything you can contribute is beyond appreciated!!!! :) Visit our 'Donate' page to find out how!

Home Sweet Home!

Well, after two fun-filled weeks, we're home sweet home. The trip was a blast and we're so happy that we were able to make it happen!

First off in Edmonton, we attended the beautiful wedding of our cousin Lisa! It was a very chilly day, but the sun was shining as we celebrated Lisa and Luke's marriage. It was so nice to be amongst almost all of our family (we missed you Matt, Ben, Brooke and Suzy!) and to get caught up on things in person for a change. Good times had by all, especially our grandparents on the dance floor!!!! Congrats again Lisa and Luke - so happy to be there for your special day! Looking forward to the next family wedding in October!!!!



Lisa and Luke and the bride's proud parents


After a very busy long-weekend, we headed to Vancouver to spend 10 days in the most beautiful city!!!! We packed in as much as we could, including our highlight 'skydiving adventure'! What an experience, what a rush, what fun!!!! We also went to the Lynn Canyon Suspension bridge, hiked some trails, walked the sea wall, spent an incredible day in our old hometown of White Rock, and met up with a friend from university! On top of that, we had a big 11th birthday celebration for our cousin Brooke, shared wonderful meals with our amazing grandparents, and even got to see our 'kindergarten friend' TWICE! How lucky are we?!



The famous White Rock Cherrio!



Many Cherrio pictures taken over the years!



View from our Grandparents house...AMAZING!



Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge


Some of you may be wondering what happened to our highly anticipated hot air balloon ride. Well, no, we didn't chicken out. Unfortunately, it was cancelled due to 'unpredictable weather'. Yes, it was May in Vancouver, so our 'selection of sunny days' was rather limited. Just as well though, we wouldn't have wanted to soar through the air on a cloudy/rainy day. Luckily, we were smart and bought vouchers that are transferable, so even though the scenery may not quite reach Vancouver's beauty, we will give it a go here in Ontario sometime soon!

Well, in a nutshell, that was our trip! We couldn't have asked for anything more (other than a bit warmer and sunnier weather!). Thanks for everyone's continued support with our 'Drive to 25'. We're having a blast and are excited for what's to come!

Stay tuned for our next blog post with our NEW, UPDATED fundraising total.....!!! Remember you can visit our donate page to make a donation - every little bit helps!!

Here's to FAMILY, FRIENDS, and VANCOUVER :)

 

White Rock Beach - we miss you!