Dylan and Eva Stepherson just wanted to do something, anything, to lend a hand and show some compassion for those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. The siblings from Seattle did so much more.
Dylan, a junior at Garfield High School, and Eva, a freshman, created CARE-19, an organization they built from the ground up to produce and provide care packages full of food, health supplies and other essentials to help those in their community cope with crisis.
GeekWire has selected Dylan and Eva as our Junior Geeks of the Month for May, a new monthly honor presented by Northern Trust, which recognizes talented young innovators, creators and entrepreneurs in the Pacific Northwest.
Like many of us, the teens entered quarantine back in March not knowing what to expect.
“We thought we’d just chill out,” Eva said this week from home with her brother. “Once we started to realize that this affected our entire community, we realized this was a big deal.”
The pair came up with the idea for care packages and started by sending an email to 60 friends and family telling them about their plans and asking for financial donations, just to help get the project off the ground. Some of those people forwarded the request to organizations, which led to in-kind donations.
Skinny Dipped provided 250 almond packets; Kaiser Permanente sent hundreds of gloves; Splash Fabric and Evergreen Recovery chipped in with face masks. The teens turned elsewhere to source such items as snack bars, disinfectant wipes, vitamin C packets, tea and more.
CARE-19 decided to target people in low-income housing who may be experiencing an especially tough time because of social distancing measures. They formed a partnership with Plymouth Housing and Langdon & Anne Simons Senior Apartments to make sure the packages they assembled made it to the right doors.
“Both of us wanted to be able to provide help to those who need it,” Dylan said. “And we knew we had the ability and resources to do so.”
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Dylan and Eva have raised more than $5,000 so far and delivered 200 CARE-19 packages, with 100 more ready to go. They’re still seeking funds through the website they built together and most recently have been assembling CARE-19 backpacks full of goods to distribute to people experiencing homelessness.
It’s volunteer work that has a familiar ring to Dylan.
“I’ve worked at food kitchens and some other places,” Dylan said. “And me and my mom do the one night count every year, which is where you go around and count the homeless so that they can have a broader idea of how many homeless are in King County.”
As with kids everywhere, the health crisis has thrown normal routines out the window for Dylan and Eva. They miss school, hanging out with friends and the activities that normally keep them busy, such as sports.
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Both are taking some of their classes online — “it’s not the same as being there” — and Dylan, who thinks he might like to attend the University of Oregon after high school, said he was getting into a coding class just when school closed. Beyond that, he said he’s a typical 17-year-old who loves playing video games.
And the brother-and-sister duo (turned business partners) said they get along just fine despite spending so much time together. They clearly care for one another, the strangers they’re helping and the project they took on.
“I think it helped us both realize that it’s important to give back and to try and help others,” Dylan said. “Just making one person smile is a great thing to do and we need more of that, especially at a time like this.”
Interested in donating to CARE-19? Visit the “take action” page of Dylan and Eva’s website. Or reach out via email. All donations go directly to the creation of care packages.
Nominate a Junior Geek
GeekWire will feature a new Junior Geek of the Month in profiles meant to capture how they are looking to make a positive impact on the world through their geeky pursuits. In addition, they’ll receive special recognition from our project partner, Northern Trust.
Do you know an exceptional Junior Geek between the ages of 12 to 20 who is going to change the world? Submit a nomination.
Nominees must be residents of the Pacific Northwest, and parental information must be included for those nominees under the age of 18. Jr. Geeks may nominate themselves but please be sure to include your parent or guardian’s contact information.
