Little Guys, BIG Hearts

by Laura Breen Galante

“Rosie is the one who started it all,” says 11-year-old Billie Taylor, referring to a little 3-D-printed opossum with tiny pink feet. “She started the whooooole business.”

Billie, along with her two BFFs Annabelle Wright and Grayson Salmons, recently started a give-back business called Little Guys for Little Guys. The spirited trio sells plastic critters like Rosie to fellow students at Woodlands Elementary School, where they are in fifth grade together. To date, they have donated their profits to three local charities: Back to Nature Wildlife Refuge, the food pantry at Woodlands Elementary, and The Sharing Center, a social services hub.

The kids have been close friends since preschool (with Annabelle and Billie being born just six weeks apart and attached at the hip ever since). Together, they decided which animals to create, presented samples to show their fellow students at school, and took orders. Billie’s dad, John Taylor, used his 3-D printer to fulfill the orders.

“Dad is the one who makes all the product,” says Billie. 

The Three Musketeers

With help from their parents, the trio agreed on the charities to support, and Billie led the charge on which critters to produce.

“I am the product creator and adder,” she says, giggling and playing with a collection of fist-sized opossums, raccoons, and otters with magnetic hands. 

Billie says credit goes to Annabelle for being “the least chaotic of all of us. She is very organized.”

Annabelle graciously accepts the compliment, saying, “I wouldn’t say I’m very organized, but I’m very good at the papers [for product orders]. And I liked taking orders because the kids would line up, and they were always so happy.” 

Annabelle’s mom, JaimeLee Wright, says her daughter has always shown an entrepreneurial spirit and has been very excited to run a business. The kids previously dabbled in a rubber band bracelet idea but agree that the critters are a much better choice.

“This time around was very, very special. Annabelle’s excitement grew exponentially because the profits were going to a good cause,” says JaimeLee. “This project ignited a drive in sales because the efforts were going to help those in need. Annabelle and her friends inspired all of us. Every morning we would make sure she had her order ledger book with her, and every evening we would ask, ‘How were sales today?’” 

Grayson proved to be the skilled salesman of the group.

“We sold after school in our cafeteria,” he says. “There are a lot of kids at the tables waiting for their vans. So we just walked around asking if they wanted one. I was good at getting the orders, and every day our orders would go up.”

A Real Team Effort

The parents helped create flyers promoting Little Guys for Little Guys, and Woodlands Elementary and Kiddie Academy – where Annabelle spends afternoons – agreed to post the flyers. Each 3-D-printed animal fetched $5, and when collecting cash and writing orders on paper became too confusing, the operation went digital. Taking orders and collecting money then became a little easier for the kids and John, who appreciated not being handed fistfuls of cash and crumpled order forms.

The kids’ teachers, Amanda Cummings and Amy Tucker, also supported the idea. John donated some of the critters to them, and both teachers purchased even more for their classroom treasure boxes – with Amy choosing specially made blue-toed opossums to match her beloved blue Ford Bronco. Thanks to the teachers’ generosity, students in their classes had the opportunity to earn a limited edition Little Guy if they weren’t able to buy one for themselves.

EA (Electronic Arts), John’s employer, generously matched the kids’ earnings. The first donation, a total of $1,000, went to Back to Nature Wildlife Refuge. To see firsthand where the money went, the friends paid a visit to the refuge to observe the rehabilitated animals, some of which looked a lot like the plastic critters they created and sold.

Another donation of $250 went to The Sharing Center in Longwood, with EA adding $250 for an equal match. The kids then raised $400 for their school’s food pantry, but rather than giving cash, Annabelle and Billie went shopping to fulfill a wish list. 

“I had a lot of fun getting food for the food pantry,” says Annabelle. “It felt so good to do that because it was going to a good place at my school. It made me feel happy.” 

Billie especially enjoyed choosing items that she felt her schoolmates would enjoy. 

Count Your Blessings

“The Little Guys were such a blessing to our school,” says Melissa Barrios, who manages the school’s food pantry. “They were so incredibly excited and so happy to help our families here at Woodlands. The holidays can be very tough for families with so many struggling, and to have extra food for our pantry was a true blessing. It was so nice to see their bright and cheerful smiles as they brought their load of staples to our pantry.”

Along the way, the Little Guys have learned about dealing with customers, managing order forms and money, and seeing the good that can come from hard work.

“Being an entrepreneur comes with lots of highs, lows, and responsibility,” says Grayson’s mom, Holly Salmons. “Learning some of those lessons within the safety of friendship, at this young age, has been a real gift for Grayson. They quickly focused their success and goals toward helping their community and using their profits responsibly. I think we could all learn a thing or two from this trio.”

Ultimately, the kids agree that Little Guys for Little Guys has been a success because it has made everyone happy: the kids who bought the critters, the people who received the donations, and the three of them. These big-hearted besties intend to keep making a positive difference in their community. Next, the kids plan to donate to a local animal shelter.

“It felt really good to do good things,” says Annabelle. “And that made us happy, too.”