Projects
Below are just a few of our projects! Through our philanthropic endeavors we have been able to help those in need
across 5 continents. To date, we have donated over $400,000 worth of eyeglasses, raised over $75,645 through our various community service endeavors, collected over $7,000 worth of books, and more.
If you would like to get involved, be sure to visit the "How to Get Involved" page.
across 5 continents. To date, we have donated over $400,000 worth of eyeglasses, raised over $75,645 through our various community service endeavors, collected over $7,000 worth of books, and more.
If you would like to get involved, be sure to visit the "How to Get Involved" page.
"Boston Strong" Silicone Wristbands
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Our journey began on April 15, 2013 when two bombs went off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Every year it was a family tradition for us to go to the Boston Marathon to cheer on the runners at the finish line. Our parents met and fell in love on Boylston Street, where the marathon takes place, and Boston became a second home for us. On that day, we overslept and had to watch the marathon on tv. We watched in horror as two bombs exploded at the finish line, near our favorite spot where we cheered on the runners every year. As we watched the horror unfold on our television, we saw something else that was just as shocking. In a moment that revealed the depths of humanity, it also showed us the innate goodness. Instead of running away from the danger, spectators and first responders were running towards it to help the victims. Despite the risk it posed to their own lives, unsure of whether another bomb would explode, they risked their lives to help their fellow human. At that moment, we were inspired to do something to help the victims. We designed and sold the original "Boston Strong" silicone wristbands and sold them for $5 each on eBay with 100% of the profits going to the OneFund, an organization set up to help the victims. Within days we started selling wristbands not just in our state, but across the nation and across the globe.
The wristbands quickly became a symbol of hope and healing for the survivors and nation. They were worn by President Barack Obama on Airforce One, Vice-President Joseph R. Biden, Aerosmith, Kenny Chesney, Stan Lee, Robert Kraft and the New England Patriots, Taylor Swift, the winner of Survivor, the Boston Red Sox when they won the World Series that year, and more. But the most meaningful wristbands were worn by the survivors and everyday people who simply wanted to show their support. Within two and a half months we were able to raise over $10,000 for the victims and were able to play just a small part in honoring them. We don't know why we were fortunate enough to oversleep that fateful day, but what we do know is that we will spend the rest of our lives continuing to give back and make a difference each and every day in an effort to leave the world better than we found it. From there, the spark for charity work was ignited and we founded our own nonprofit charity called the "We Stand Strong Foundation," helping those suffering from tragedies and natural disasters.
The wristbands quickly became a symbol of hope and healing for the survivors and nation. They were worn by President Barack Obama on Airforce One, Vice-President Joseph R. Biden, Aerosmith, Kenny Chesney, Stan Lee, Robert Kraft and the New England Patriots, Taylor Swift, the winner of Survivor, the Boston Red Sox when they won the World Series that year, and more. But the most meaningful wristbands were worn by the survivors and everyday people who simply wanted to show their support. Within two and a half months we were able to raise over $10,000 for the victims and were able to play just a small part in honoring them. We don't know why we were fortunate enough to oversleep that fateful day, but what we do know is that we will spend the rest of our lives continuing to give back and make a difference each and every day in an effort to leave the world better than we found it. From there, the spark for charity work was ignited and we founded our own nonprofit charity called the "We Stand Strong Foundation," helping those suffering from tragedies and natural disasters.
"We See You" Campaign
Our "We See You" Campaign began in 2014 when we realized the unmet and often overlooked need for vision care by the impoverished Greeks and Syrian refugees. To date, we have been able to raise over $400,000 worth of new and gently used eyeglasses and even help start a grassroots efforts to build a free health clinic in Lesvos, Greece. We were given the opportunity to visit a Clinica Esperanza in Roatán, Honduras where we hand delivered eyeglass donations and meet some of the volunteer medical staff and patients!
Our campaign is still going strong and there are still so many people who
need our help.
If you would like to get involved, visit our "How to Get Involved" page to contact us directly. For updates on this campaign, be sure to visit our "Current Projects" page.
Our campaign is still going strong and there are still so many people who
need our help.
If you would like to get involved, visit our "How to Get Involved" page to contact us directly. For updates on this campaign, be sure to visit our "Current Projects" page.
"We Stand Strong Somerset" Annual Town-Wide Day of Service
Through our charity, we have helped people from across the country and the globe, but this time we wanted to give back to our own community, which has been essential in helping us make the biggest impact possible. The creation of our We Stand Strong Somerset Annual Town-Wide Day of Service first began in 2016. We set aside one day a year for the community to band together to give back. We had people spanning all age groups and even provided community service hours as an incentive to get middle and high school students interested in community service.
Our efforts have helped spark a renewed interest in giving back in our community and has even inspired Days of Service and community clean ups in neighboring towns.
None of this would have been possible without our wonderful sponsors!
A big thank you to Home Depot in Somerset for donating the much needed supplies, the Somerset Open Air Market and Somerset Town Hall for being our home base, Agoro's Restaurant for hosting our after party celebration, and our co-founder Lindsey's band, "Out of the Blue," for providing free entertainment at the after party!
Our efforts have helped spark a renewed interest in giving back in our community and has even inspired Days of Service and community clean ups in neighboring towns.
None of this would have been possible without our wonderful sponsors!
A big thank you to Home Depot in Somerset for donating the much needed supplies, the Somerset Open Air Market and Somerset Town Hall for being our home base, Agoro's Restaurant for hosting our after party celebration, and our co-founder Lindsey's band, "Out of the Blue," for providing free entertainment at the after party!
Hurricane Relief Fundraiser
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Through our We Stand Strong Somerset Annual Town-Wide Day of Service, we also raised money and nonperishables for Hurricane victims in the United States and Puerto Rico. We have collected over 2,500 lbs of nonperishable goods and over 700 lbs of clothing for the Hurricane victims and our numbers continue to grow as we aid those suffering from natural disasters.
"We Stand Strong for a Cure" Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Fundraiser
Our co-founder, Lindsey, was a "Student of the Year Ambassador" for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) and helped raise over $167,560 for the LLS with the help of Casey and their team, in honor of their beloved younger cousin, Jonny, who was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. The siblings hosted a fundraiser, as pictured above, where they had raffle items and a silent auction, which included Celtics tickets, a guitar, and lots of Patriot's memorabilia!
Book Drive - Promoting Literacy
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To date, we have raised over $7,000 worth of books for underprivileged students and continue to promote literacy across the nation!