A Gordon Head youth has turned an ordinary August afternoon into a moment of community care and quiet resilience, raising $1,642 for the Victoria Hospitals Foundation at his fourth annual lemonade stand.
From grief to giving
The sale, which took place on Aug. 17, was organised by Anders Yee, who began the fundraiser in 2023 after his father died suddenly from a brain aneurysm on Aug. 17, 2022. Using the stand as a way to remember and to heal, Anders and three friends sold lemonades alongside 3D-printed fidgets and key rings, with a cooler of homemade ice cream on hand.
Anders set an initial goal of $1,000 for this year’s effort and surpassed it, ultimately collecting $1,642 for the foundation that supports hospitals and health care services in the region.
“This actually helps. It’s a distraction, really, to get through a dark, kind of a sad place,” said Susanna Yee, Anders’s mother, reflecting on how the annual sale has become a source of healing for the family.
Community and motivation
The lemonade stand is both a personal project and a small entrepreneurial venture. The family explained the presence of homemade ice cream had added meaning: they purchased an ice cream machine several years earlier after Anders’s father had wanted one. Susanna Yee described the ice cream as carrying a “sentimental piece” of memory that complements the fundraiser.
Gaelle van Erp, head of marketing and communications for the Victoria Hospitals Foundation, praised Anders’s initiative and the generosity of donors in the region. “Anders is such a driven entrepreneur. I love that he is a leader in terms of being a young entrepreneur, and he is really wanting to give back to the community and to the hospitals that did care for his father,” she said.
Small actions, local impact
The stand illustrates how modest, local efforts can support broader health services in Greater Victoria. The funds raised by Anders will flow to the Victoria Hospitals Foundation to be used where the foundation identifies need across hospitals it supports.
- Organiser: Anders Yee, Gordon Head
- Beneficiary: Victoria Hospitals Foundation
- This year’s result: $1,642 raised (goal $1,000)
- Motivation: In memory of Anders’s father, who died Aug. 17, 2022
| Year | Notes |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Anders began fundraising the year after his father died |
| 2026 | $1,642 raised; $1,000 goal |
For many in Victoria, small community-led fundraisers are familiar — summer bake sales, neighbourhood drives and school fundraisers remain a steady source of support for local charities and hospitals. Anders’s efforts underline how personal loss can motivate civic generosity, and how a neighbourhood gathering can translate into tangible support for health care services.
The family invited others with Greater Victoria stories to share their experiences with local press, continuing a long tradition of community storytelling that connects residents to the causes and people that shape daily life in the region.
